


The Road Less Traveled By

by rumplestitlskin



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-21
Updated: 2016-03-02
Packaged: 2018-05-08 04:54:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 28
Words: 66,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5484173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rumplestitlskin/pseuds/rumplestitlskin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The heroes of Storybrooke return home precisely 3 months after they vanished off into the night, hoping to bring back Hook from the Underworld. Their quest of resurrecting the pirate succeeded, however, they come back with one member short and Belle begins to see that Emma and her family are hiding a horrible secret from her and she is determined to find out what it is.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

It was a Tuesday afternoon in Storybrooke and the cool breezy wind found itself blowing towards the direction of the town library, which stood tall, looking very much like it had aged a hundred years.

The library was always empty these days, save for the timid librarian who could be seen waltzing through the aisles of shelves in a graceful manner. Anyone who saw her would think her a content woman, for she always walked with a spring in her step and a smile on her lips. She would spend all her days trapped inside the library, immersed in a book or two, and only came out to have lunch at Granny’s. Once the day was through, she’d lock up and drive home.

Belle however felt entirely different. Most days she felt hollow inside, deep down she suspected it was because she missed him, but she was much too proud to admit it out loud. She had tried to convince herself that he was long gone but no matter how hard she tried, there was always a sliver of hope that he might come back to her someday.

That hope eventually faded over time though the small spark still remained rooted in her, and it was still there on that Tuesday afternoon when someone came crashing through the library door.

“They’re back! They’re back!”

Belle had just finished rearranging the shelves for the sixth time that week and had been so deep in thought about a book she’d read earlier that it startled her to hear the shrieks and yells in the library. She sprinted to the main entrance to see Leroy panting heavily, holding onto the main counter to keep balance.

When he saw her, his eyes widened and he laughed like a madman.

“Belle, they’re back! You have to come with me! Come on!” he wheezed as he pulled her with him out of the library.

“Leroy, who’s back?” she asked, alarmed at the sight of the dwarf who looked as though he was going to pass out any time soon.

“Snow and the others! I’m sure Rumplestiltskin is there too!”

Leroy continued to explain but Belle did not seem to have heard a single word he said after that. Her heart, she noticed, was beating very loudly in her chest and her hand moved towards her stomach almost protectively. Leroy was still talking when Belle took off, leaving him behind her.

She did not know where she was going and she didn’t need to. A large crowd of people had started to gather by Granny’s diner and she had a feeling they weren’t there for pleasure. She did not know what she was going to say or do but she knew she had to get there to see if it was true. She had been led on by false rumors too many times, and it was only common for that to happen in a small town like this.

She remembered just two weeks ago when the dwarves had told her they’d seen Emma and the others at the docks but it turned out Sneezy had gotten drunk and imagined the whole thing. She learned the hard way that the dwarves were really not a reliable source for any sort of information whatsoever.

She halted to a stop, her legs aching from running in her big shoes, and tried to get a peek of what was happening. Her small size served as an advantage as she moved through the crowd with ease, her eyes frantically looking for a familiar face.

The first thing she saw was Emma Swan’s red jacket and then her eyes began to focus on their faces. Emma, Regina, Henry, Snow…they were all hugging the other townsfolk. Her eyes found almost every face except for the one she was looking for the most. She spotted Killian Jones standing by himself in a corner and for a brief moment, their eyes met and she gasped. There seemed to be something off about him but she couldn’t place it.

Turning away from him quickly, she stepped closer towards them, hoping one of them might point her in the right direction. She wondered if maybe he was waiting for her at the shop, too afraid to face her in front of all these people. She laughed inwardly, thinking how the great and powerful Rumplestiltskin was afraid to face the small and timid Belle. Her feet moved towards the shop, eager to meet her favorite pair of brown eyes. She knew she was furious with him but she was also relieved that he was back, it lifted a huge load off her shoulders for she no longer needed to carry her beautiful secret by herself anymore.

“Belle!” she heard someone call and she turned to come face to face with Henry. He had strayed from both his mothers to come and see her. She smiled when she saw how much he’d grown since he’d been gone. She had missed him, almost as much as Rumple, for this boy had been the only one who had always looked out for her in a way. In fact, if it hadn’t been for Henry, she would’ve been halfway around the world by now, never knowing what fate would’ve befallen Rumple and the rest of them back when Hook had been the Dark One.

“Hey,” she said, reaching over to squeeze his shoulders. He looked rather grim and for a second, she was reminded a little of Rumplestiltskin. She began to notice that the older Henry grew, the more he resembled his grandfather. The way their eyebrows creased when they were curious, the small dimple on their cheek when they grinned and how they always spoke in a hushed tone with her.

“Is, uh, Rumple at the shop?” she asked, sounding out of breath and saw the boy’s face turn even more solemn. She felt fear creep up her skin as she looked towards the shop for any sign that her Rumple was there. The shop however looked as it always did, closed and abandoned. She turned back to Henry, her eyes stinging.

“Belle…Grandpa Gold is…h-h-he's-”

“Henry!”

Before Henry could finish, Regina interrupted him, coming to stand beside her son. Her hand was wrapped around Henry, as if she was protecting him from something. Emma joined the two of them shortly and suddenly they were all looking at her with…was it pity?

“Where’s Rumple?” she repeated loudly. She did not care if she sounded aggressive or cold to the newly arrived heroes. She just wanted to get to the truth, wanted to know where he was. She watched as their eyes traveled downwards to the small bump on her stomach.

“Y-you’re pregnant?” voiced Regina, surprised. The two women before Belle exchanged glances and it only angered her further. Her hands were trembling by her sides as she did all she could to contain her anger.

“What’s going on?” Charming appeared at that moment, followed by a whole crowd of people who wanted to see what was going on. He grew pale when he too saw that she was pregnant.

“Why won’t you tell me where he is?” Belle demanded rather violently and made the rest of them backtrack a little.

“Look, why don’t we discuss this somewhere quiet?” he asked and Belle nodded quickly, glaring at the nosy townsfolk who stood behind them, whispering something about Rumplestiltskin faintly. 

She was tired of all the questions they were throwing at each other and she knew screaming at them would only annoy them further. So, she tagged along behind Charming and his family as they walked into the diner. They led her inside of Granny’s and she watched as Regina brought down the blinds. There was a strange silence in the diner, it was the kind you had in funerals when you were mourning for someone. It was only them now. Belle took in a deep breath when Snow sat her down in one of the booths and offered her a small smile.

Charming slid into the seat opposite her while Emma took a step behind her mother and whispered something to a very still Killian. They were all looking at her again with that sympathetic look and she hated it.

“Belle, Rumplestiltskin didn’t…make it back,” the prince muttered as he reached to take her hand in his. She pulled back and watched as he winced slightly. The words seemed to escape his lips in slow motion and she did not want to understand what it meant. This was a cruel joke they were playing on her, she decided.

How could he have not made it back? He always found a way before, hadn’t he?

“He sacrificed himself to save Henry and he wanted you to know that he loved you. There was no other option left and he offered himself in exchange for Henry’s life. He died a hero, Belle,” Charming continued, his eyes never meeting hers once throughout the entire conversation.

Belle didn’t realize she was crying until Charming asked if she needed a tissue. She dabbed away at the tears and stood up a little too fast. Her head spun and she grabbed onto the table to steady herself. Charming moved to help her but she pushed him off her without thinking.

She could not bear to look at any of them now, could not bring any of this to sense. She simply walked to the door, tears flowing free from her eyes. She heard them muttering behind her and pretended as if she couldn’t hear them. Belle knew it was rude of her to walk out there when it was obvious they weren’t done explaining but she found that she did not care one bit. They could take their sorry's back to the Underworld for all she cared.

She exited the diner and passed by the people there without a second glance. She did not know where she was going but she supposed anywhere was better than in there. Her thoughts were running wild and she could not control them anymore. Everything was happening too fast for her to comprehend. Nothing made sense to her at the time.

Her legs brought her to a stop and she hesitated a little before stepping into the dimly lit pawn shop. She was not surprised to see it was unlocked, after all, he had left it that way three months ago. She’d always thought he’d left it open for her, so she’d have one last reminder of him here. Maybe he’d known all along that he wouldn't have made it back hence leaving the shop unlocked, his antiques cluttered about from the night before he'd departed for the Underworld.

She moved to the back of the shop and settled onto the small bed in the corner. She sat there for a while, staring off into the distance until her eye caught sight of something she’d almost forgotten about. Moving to the cupboard, she staggered a little as she opened the door and took the small cup out.

It was their chipped cup and at first sight, it looked almost broken. There were rough cracks lining the walls of the cup as though someone had glued the pieces back together. She held it to her chest as she made her way back to the bed, her cheeks wet once more.

She curled herself there and placed a soft kiss on the cup. Belle fell asleep between the sheets, her hand never once letting go of the little chipped cup.


	2. Chapter 2

Belle French glanced at the clock by the wall and sighed. It was 8:00 p.m. and she was hungry. And so was the baby, she figured judging by the rumbling in her stomach. She hated herself for having spent the whole day crying in the shop instead of just doing it in their home…oh right, it was just her home now.

If she drove back, it would take almost an hour to reach home and frankly, she wasn’t sure she would last that long. She had not had lunch earlier that day seeing Leroy had interrupted her with the news of the heroes' arrival in town just minutes before her lunch break. So much time had passed since she'd gotten news of Rumple's death from Charming.

It felt so strange to her, it felt wrong to think him dead.

But he was dead, wasn’t he? 

“He’s dead,” she whispered to herself, the words rolling out of her tongue heavily. She hated herself for being weak like this and she hated him even more. He had just left her here, right after they were finally together, to go off on some heroic adventure with the same people who had treated him so poorly before. She had a feeling she the bitterness she felt over him choosing to abandon her once more would never go away.

Her stomach made another horrible noise and she snapped out of her thoughts. She had no other choice but to buy something from Granny’s, where the heroes of Storybrooke were probably celebrating their victory. 

She found that she had not been wrong at all, for the minute she stepped into the diner, she saw there was a big party inside. Music was blasting out of the speakers, the dwarves were all laughing away and the Charming family sat at the centre, smiles plastered across their faces. She saw Charming and Snow cradling their child, kissing him once every minute, as if that would make up for their absence for the past three months. Regina and Robin were huddled by the corner, Roland and their newborn child with them. Emma and Killian were speaking quietly by another corner and Henry was nowhere to be seen.

Once people took notice of her inside the diner, the noise and excitement died down immediately. She heard someone clear their throat but ignored them. She walked to Granny who shot her a worried look but Belle shook her head and forced a smile.

“Could you pack me some soup, Granny?” she asked, wondering if the older woman could sense the quiver in her voice. If she had, she did not show it for Granny nodded and turned away from Belle, yelling at someone in the kitchen to hurry up with the order. 

She heard a chair move behind her and saw from the corner of her eyes that Charming had stood up, his hand holding a glass of wine. 

“Can I have everyone’s attention, please?” he asked and Belle was sure that he was speaking to her. She closed her eyes for a moment before turning to him. Everyone else had also stopped what they were doing and were now looking at the prince with what she could only describe as profound admiration.

“I want to honor this night to the man who gave up his life to save my family. Tonight, I ask everyone to raise your glasses to Rumplestiltskin, who showed me what true bravery looks like,” he started, lifting his glass in the air.

Belle swallowed. She did not have the courage to look at anyone else in the diner.

“If it had not been for his noble sacrifice, we wouldn’t be here right now. I owe everything to him and it’s needless to say that he died a hero,” he finished before gulping it down. The rest of them followed gravely.

There was no cheer, no applause, nothing except dead silence.

But Belle knew they didn’t really care about any of this. They were just doing this out of respect for Prince Charming and maybe even out of pity for her. None of them had cared this much when Rumple had sacrificed his life to save the town from his father before. No one had even tried to find a way to bring him back and why would they? To them, Rumplestiltskin was just a means to an end. He was a solution to their problems and that was all he had ever been to them.

“Did you try to stop him when he wanted to give himself up for Henry?” she’d wanted to ask. 

“Did you tell him there might've been another way to save the boy?” she wanted to scream into their faces.

She bit her tongue.

She didn’t have to ask them because she already knew the answer. They would have thanked him for sacrificing himself and then they’d have left him there to his fate, not giving him another option. She knew she would have. She would have shook him a little, told him he was being stupid, and would then stay there with him until they figured out an alternate way to rescue Henry. But she hadn't been there.

“Th-thank you,” was all she could muster.

“If there’s anything you need…especially with the b-baby, just ask Belle and we’ll do whatever we can to help,” Charming’s wife said, stepping up next to him.

Belle nodded, regretting her choice of coming here. She suddenly felt that she wasn’t that hungry after all. Before they could say another word, Belle turned to leave. She prayed none of them would ask her why she was leaving as she pushed the door open.

The real reason Belle couldn’t stand to be around anyone at the moment was because she hated them. She hated them for being happy and together and she knew how petty it was but she couldn’t help it. It was not fair that they got to live while her husband didn’t. 

Belle walked fast to where the car was parked, hoping no one would stop her. She had just reached the car when she heard someone catching up to her.

“Belle, hey-you uh, forgot this,” Emma said, handing her a bag from Granny’s.

She had the sudden urge to just fling the packed soup into the ground; imagining how satisfying it would feel to see it spill over the ground and not to mention Emma’s face when she did it. She must have stood there, simply staring away until Emma’s voice brought her back to reality.

“Listen, I really am sorry about Go-Rumplestiltskin,” she said and she meant it. 

Her eyes were sunken, there were creases above her forehead and she looked miserable. The trip to Underworld had brought them back in one piece, but what about the effect it had had on their souls? Sure, she looked human enough but the paleness of her skin, her difficulty in maintaining eye contact and the guilt in her voice was enough for Belle to conclude that this was not the same Emma Swan she’d known back then.

“Thanks,” Belle mumbled.

She reached for the bag and then turned to get into the car.

“He was sorry he couldn’t say goodbye, you know?”

Belle counted to ten under her breath.

“He-he said h-” 

“-it doesn’t matter what he said. Not anymore,” Belle whispered.

“Don’t you want to know what happened to him?” Emma asked.

Belle still had her back to the other woman but she could hear the confusion in her voice.

“What’s there to know? He…died.”

And that was the end of the conversation. Emma did not continue and Belle did not wait around for her either. There was simply nothing anyone could say, not even the Savior, to fix the pain she felt in her chest. All these consolations did not mean anything if it didn’t come from Rumple himself. For all she knew, Emma, Charming and the rest of them probably made it all up just to make her feel better.

What was the point of that? Their words wouldn’t be able to bring him back to life. It wasn’t enough to stop the sorrow she felt seeping through her blood. No, she did not want to know what had happened to him because if she did, she’d have to accept that he really was gone. And she couldn’t. She wouldn’t.

The drive back home was torture for her. The whole time she could not stop thinking about him. They all claimed he had died a hero, but was that really true? She felt like she was betraying him by having all these horrid thoughts but she couldn’t help it. The way they kept insisting him to be like one of them just seemed misplaced. It felt forced.

No, she decided, they weren’t telling her the whole story. They were keeping something from her and she could see it in their eyes. She’d seen it all before in Rumplestiltskin back when he‘d spent his marriage spewing lies and deceit. There had been a weight in his actions, just like Charming and Emma when they'd spoken to her earlier.

Belle turned off the engine and sat in the car for a moment, allowing herself to be swallowed up by the darkness.

She wanted so much to know what had went down in the Underworld but part of her begged her not to. She suspected it was just her heart trying to protect her from even further heartbreak but Belle didn’t think that was possible. Her heart was already shattered, the pieces scattered all over the earth. 

The only thing left for her now was the baby. She also had her father still but she knew how he truly felt about the whole pregnancy situation. When she told him of the child she was about to have, he had showed no emotion. He had simply nodded his head, hugged her and asked if she was ready for lunch. She could tell he wanted no part in this twisted family, there was simply too much resentment between her father and her husband. 

But he did try though and Belle had to give him that. When Belle had banished Rumple from Storybrooke, her father had welcomed her into his open arms, begging her to stay with him until she was back on her feet. When he heard of Rumple’s return, he had tried to protect Belle by asking her to hide away in the woods in case the impish man came after her.

She knew he would do no such thing and she also knew she wasn’t afraid of him. She rejected her father’s proposal of hiding her away and instead went back to work in Rumple’s shop, making sure everything was always in its right place. That was the time when she had met Will, who accidentally broke into the shop drunkenly one night, thinking it was the public library. At first, she expressed her disgust when she saw him sleeping away in the corner but the longer the time he spent with her, the more she began to see that they were not so different. 

He told her stories about his True Love, who while wicked still loved him to death, and it was a story she could relate to only too well. She could see how broken Will was having lost the love of his life, and he her, and the two formed an instant bond. They weren’t in love, mostly because they refused to give up on their former loves, but they made each other forget about the pain for a while. And she was eternally grateful for the tiny moments she’d gotten to spend with Will before Rumple popped up again, of course.

Belle felt a sinking feeling in her chest as she walked toward the towering house before her. She felt almost sick as she made her way up the steps, knowing that she was coming home to an empty house once again.

She ate dinner quietly in the living room, her only companion was the silence that drifted around like a disease. She was almost finished when she heard the soft knocks on the door.

They were soft at first and Belle thought she had simply imagined it. But then it got louder and louder until she realized it was coming from the kitchen. Curious, she crept slowly towards the back door, not really sure why she had to be sneaking around her own house.

She peered out the frosted window but couldn’t make anything out.

“Who’s there?” she asked, holding her breath.

“It’s just me, Grandma,” came a reply and Belle breathed a sigh of relief.

Opening the door, she revealed a very disheveled Henry Mills standing there with a smug smile, his hands shoved in his pocket. She held the door open wide enough so he could slip through.

“I told you, Henry, to call me Belle,” she murmured as she locked the door behind her. With an amused expression, she watched the boy look around the mansion with awe. She did not understand why he seemed to be so fascinated seeing that his mother’s house was twice as big as this. He was entranced by the many mysterious objects that lined the shelves and walls in the hallway, occasionally touching them to see if it spat out any magic. Perhaps his interest was more on the antiquities than the wallpaper decorations, Belle thought.

“Can I, uh, help you?” 

She was usually warmer than this to her guests but tonight she was just tired and cold. All she wanted to do was lie down in her bed and forget about everything that had happened. Henry, however, seemed to be having other plans.

“I’m sorry about Grandpa, Belle. I wanted to tell you earlier but I didn’t get a chance…how are you holding up?” he asked, his voice was genuine and kind. Belle felt a small tug at her chest.

“I’m doing f-I’ll be fine, I think,” she replied a little shakily.

“Did they tell you what happened when they were down there?”

Belle paused a moment.

“No…but that’s because I didn’t ask,” she answered.

“Why not? Don’t you want to know what happened? I know I do,” Henry mumbled as he kept his eyes focused on an old clock by the corner of the living room. 

There it was again. Why were they so afraid to look her in the eye when they spoke? He seemed alright earlier when he was asking how she was doing. His whole posture had changed when he brought up the Underworld. What happened down there?

“But you do know, Henry. You were there, weren’t you?” 

At this, Henry turned quiet. He was standing by the window now, his back turned to her. It seemed a little too dramatic to Belle and for a second she thought she was going to laugh at how ridiculous it was. Rumple used to do the same thing whenever he was deep in thought.

“I don’t remember…what happened,” he said finally.

Well, things were beginning to sound a lot mysterious now. The Charmings’ were being too nice to her earlier and now Henry was confessing that he did not have any memories regarding the trip to Hell. Had someone cast yet another memory loss curse and none of them were aware of it?

Only that did not make sense. If they didn’t have their memories, how would they have remembered Rumple’s big sacrifice? Henry was the only one who was inflicted, the only one who didn’t remember…but why? There were more questions than answers flying through Belle’s head and she was desperate to get to the bottom of it.

“Henry, did you tell your mothers about this?” she asked approaching him slowly. He did not move away from her but instead stood there when she took hold of his hand.

“They won’t tell me. They keep feeding me stories but none of them make sense. I thought maybe they’d have told you what had happened to everyone there. That they’d have mentioned what might’ve happened to me and why I have no memories of going down there,” his voice was dull, angry even, that he was being treated like a child no doubt.

“It’s probably for your own good, though. What if something bad happened that your mothers wanted you to forget, Henry?”

“But that’s not fair! I deserve to know the truth…even if it hurts me. I have to learn to carry the weight of my decisions and the consequences they may bring. Grandpa Gold taught me that, Belle,” he argued and Belle could tell that he had won the argument.

It was almost cruel of him to bring up Rumple into the conversation, but she had to admit it sounded just like something he would say. Rumplestiltskin often said the wisest of things, despite proving to be the complete opposite at most times.

She supposed he was right in a way. I mean, no one should have their memories taken away from them…not even by their own parents. If something terrible had went down, then it was up to Henry to live with it. After all, they had chosen to bring their son to the Underworld with them so they should’ve been prepared for the worse to happen, right?

Speaking of his mothers….

“Henry, did you come here alone? Where’s Emma and Regina?” she asked worriedly.

“No, they don’t know I’m here. I just needed to get away from them for a while, that’s all. I just...have a bad feeling about all of this, Belle.”

And she knew he was right. She wanted to agree with him, tell him she felt the same but she didn’t want to do so without proof. This could just be her grief getting the best of her, leading her on with false hope, hoping that maybe this meant Rumple wasn’t dead after all. This was a terrible habit of hers and she refused to drag Henry down with her.

“Tell you what, Henry, come down to the shop tomorrow morning and we can find a memory reverse spell or something that can help you regain your lost time in the Underworld, alright?” she asked rather encouragingly and it brightened him a little.

She saw a smile spread across his face and she couldn’t help but smile along with him. With a pat on his back, she showed him to the door, waiting until she saw his figure vanish into the night.

She sighed softly, leaning against the door, listening to her own shallow breathing. Her hand traveled down to her belly and stroked it gently. 

“It’s going to be okay. We’re going to be okay,” she whispered, her voice traveling throughout the huge, lonely house.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regina stops by to have a little chat with Belle about her son.

Two weeks. 

It had been two weeks since she’d heard about Rumple’s death and she was somehow still holding on. She had Archie to thank for the most part for if he hadn’t offered her therapy sessions, she did not know if she would have been able to have coped with the loss.

He was truly one of the few people she would trust with her life. He had always been there for her through everything. She remembered back when she had banished Rumple from Storybrooke and everyone told her she was a hero. She played along with them back then, afraid they might ditch her if she admitted her guilt of sending him over the town line against his will.

Archie had found her crying in Granny‘s bathroom, he had seen the sadness behind her eyes, and made her talk. She poured everything out to him while he listened intently, speaking only when he needed to. He watched her sob in his office, as she asked herself where she had gone wrong, and he never failed to make her see it hadn’t been her fault. He made sure she knew that she had done what she had thought was right and that no one blamed her.

“What if he dies out there?” she had asked tearfully one night.

“If that’s what you’re worried about, Belle, we can go and find him. We can bring him back,” he’d said encouragingly.

And she wanted to. But she did not want to be weak and give in to his lies once more. She had found another way to make sure he was safe from harm. She kept his dagger by her side for all the nights he spent outside town, making sure the engraved name on the knife never faded. She decided a week later that what she had done to him wasn’t a punishment but rather a sobering up process, where he could learn to not depend on his magic. He was an addict and the best way to cure him would have been to leave him someplace he couldn’t do any magic.

That plan had failed spectacularly as he came back weeks later with little remorse to show. He had tried to convince the Author to write him a new ending and ended up in a coma. Things never ended well for Rumplestiltskin when he got into the magic meddling business and it seemed even when he was no longer under the influence of the Dark Curse, he still made bad choices.

Despite being free from the darkness, he still had a knack for going down the wrong path. She remembered how she woken that afternoon to an empty bed, confused as to where Rumple had gone to. It was only after Merida had told her of him following Emma and her family down to the Underworld did she finally accept that once again he had left her.

Belle did not recall having been this mad at him. She had learned to forgive him eventually for his deception back when he had still carried the Dark Curse but now given he was his own man again, he had still decided to lie to her once more.

He did not lie but he also did not tell her the truth and that infuriated her beyond anything. That night they had spent together was supposed to mean something. To her, it was the mark of a new beginning, a fresh start, as he had called it. 

He threw all that away and for what? To save a pirate? To save the man who had tried to kill him several times before? As noble as Rumple’s intentions may have been, it had cost him his life. And family.

Belle wondered if he would have left her if he’d known she’d have gotten pregnant. She could see his face, the way his eyes would shine when he heard about the baby. She felt sorry that he’d died not knowing that she was carrying his child, that he could’ve had a new family, one that was not broken. 

But it already was, though. The baby would grow up never knowing what kind of man he had really been, the kind that had made her fall in love over a thousand times over. 

It seemed everything Rumplestiltskin touched would break moments after. That was life for him, it was fleeting and yet it was also forever. His grasp on everything he loved was strong, so strong that it would shatter, no matter how careful he was. Perhaps it was another curse that had been set unto him unbeknownst to him, that he could never love and be loved in return at the same time. That as long as he lived, he couldn’t be happy and as long as he stayed dead, the people he cared for could never be happy. 

An iron grip on Belle’s shoulder brought the woman back to reality. She was sitting on a bench by the docks, the wind making strands of her hair fall into her face. Annoyed, she brushed it away and looked up to see an equally irritated Regina.

Belle made room so Regina could share the seat but the other woman simply ignored the gesture with a huff. 

Suit yourself, Belle thought as she waited for the Madam Mayor to speak. Clearly something was troubling her, judging from her taut expression. 

“Henry,” Regina stated, crossing her arms.

“What about him?” Belle asked, leaning back into her seat.

“He’s going on about some nonsense memory spell you're helping him look for, Belle. Is that true?” she asked accusingly.

She should have guessed it was about Henry.

“Look, Henry came to me and said he needed help remembering. I was just trying to help him out,” she explained but she could tell it wasn’t enough to convince her. Regina was frowning now, her eyebrows locked together and Belle thought the woman was going to attack her.

“There’s a reason he doesn’t have his memories. I have to protect him!”

“From what, Regina? What are you so afraid of?” it was Belle’s turn to speak now and she was properly heard.

Regina was going to say something but held back just in time. Belle wondered if she should push her some more until she got the answers she wanted. She had promised Henry she’d find a way after all.

“You stay away from him, you hear me? I felt sorry because you lost your husband and all but don’t toy with me, Belle. My patience has its limits and you’re crossing the line here,” she said, threateningly.

There were no more niceties now between her and Regina. All those polite conversations she had been having with the whole lot of them were just as she expected them to be; fake and insincere. Now that Belle seemed to be on the edge of discovering the truth, she could see how frightened Regina was.

“Henry deserves to have his memories back. Just because you’re his mother doesn’t mean you can rob him of his agency like that, Regina. I’m sorry but he asked me to help him and I gave him my word. I won’t stop just because you’re dropping petty little threats. I’m not afraid of you anymore,” Belle said standing up. 

She was done talking to the other woman. She feared she might have riled the former evil queen a little too much for her liking. She liked the peace she had in the little town now and did not want to be chased around by yet another dark entity, especially not one sent by Regina Mills. She knew which risks to take and which to avoid. 

“Good day,” was all she said before walking away, leaving Regina standing there fuming.


	4. Chapter 4

“I missed you, sweetheart.” 

Belle smiled as she leaned against his chest, the warmth radiating from him was all she ever wanted. She wished it would stay like this forever; her hands intertwined in his, their bodies lying in a heap beneath the sheets and the sound of their hearts beating rhythmically.

“Hmmm,” was all she could muster.

It was pure bliss, being together like this again. 

He moved his head and kissed her playfully on the nose and she giggled. He chuckled inwardly, his eyes never moving away from hers. He looked almost entranced by her and she him. They were like this for a long time. 

“Do you love me?” he asked, voice barely a whisper.

“You know I do, Mr. Gold,” she replied teasingly, reaching out to push a strand of hair that had fallen in his face. She couldn’t help touching him, she realized, and he did not seem to mind at all. In fact, he leaned in to her touch eagerly.

“I love you too, Mrs. Gold,” he answered back and she felt her heart beat just a little faster. Her mind was racing, her hands were a little shaky but she tried to play it off coolly.

“It‘s too soon for that, isn’t it?” she mumbled, doing her best to sound calm. She had just only gotten back together with him and already he was calling her Mrs. Gold again? She loved him, that much was true, but she did not want them to move too fast. Only the gods knew how horrible their marriage had gone the first time round and she knew rushing head first into it again wouldn’t be a good idea.

She still needed time to adjust herself to this. To him. 

“Miss French then, perhaps?” Rumple said cheekily and she laughed. It felt so good to be this happy, she thought. It had been a while since she had felt like this, it was like they were falling in love all over again.

She snuggled in closer to him and he wound his arm around her, wrapping her closer to him.

And just like that they fell asleep in the cozy bed by the warm fireplace, with her head on his chest. She dozed off, thinking about all the wonderful things they’d talk about when they woke up later, unaware that that moment would never come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to have a little rumbelle fluff before we go back to seeing Belle being sad again :)


	5. Chapter 5

The hospital was almost empty and it came as no surprise to Belle. Ever since the night Emma and the rest of them had ventured into the depths of the Underworld, there had been no new threat in Storybrooke. The residents went about their days, finally being able to live in peace without having to worry about evil queens or sorcerers or pirates with dark magic.

Belle was glad in a way as it meant she could have her monthly check ups and be at home by lunchtime. Otherwise, she’d have to spend all day in the hospital, answering questions of the child she was bearing as well as the absence of the father as nicely as she could. 

She despised the lot of them for it. She knew how they looked at her with disdain as they probed her on how she was going to raise the baby on her own or what she would do if she gave birth to a half-demon child, the latter as a mean joke. They did not really care for her answer but instead just waited to see her reaction, to see if she would bite back at them spitefully. She never did, of course, because it was who she was.

No matter how much she wanted to scream at them, she never had the heart to do so. It was who she was, though she noticed she was a much different person now than she had been back in the Enchanted Forest when she was a young maid in the clutches of an impish leather clad man. Belle was so much stronger now, much tougher, more determined in facing whatever horrors life threw in her way. 

“Ready, Belle?” 

Doctor Whale peeked his head out the door with an encouraging smile, which she politely returned. 

Throughout the whole session, Belle sat in silence, only speaking when spoken to. She did not know why but she found herself being rather tired of being in other people’s company. The doctor showed no sign of awkwardness as it seemed he had gotten used to the silence with her but he did try to start up random conversations that might peak her interest.

When it was over, she thanked him with a small peck on his cheek and took note of the blush that formed in his cheeks. She was almost at the door when he called her back. 

“What is it-is something wrong with the baby?” she asked as he urged her to take a seat. He watched her as he sat opposite her, his expression was concerned and it made Belle pale a little. 

“No, nothing’s wrong…with the baby,” he pressed.

Belle frowned.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” 

He looked at her, the worry getting more and more obvious in his eyes every passing second.

“It’s you, Belle. Are you-alright?” 

Belle sighed in relief, feeling like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She’d thought some sort of danger had been posed toward the baby, that threatened its life or something. Color began to return to her face and she felt her heart beating again.

“I’m fine, Victor. I’m just tired,” she answered honestly.

She knew he was only trying to help her but he didn’t-couldn’t-understand what she was going through. Having a child wasn’t an easy task after all, especially if you had to do it by yourself. 

“You’re different now. You look like you’ve lost weight, you have bags under your eyes and I-it’s not just how you look, Belle. You rarely talk to anyone anymore…you just lock yourself away in that shop all day and I-we’re worried abo-”

“-we?” she snapped.

“Us. Me, Granny, Archie, Merida and everyone else. We just want to help you, Belle, but we can’t if you keep avoiding everyone who cares about you. I know…you’re still not over Mr. Gold’s passing but you don’t have to suffer alone like this. We’ve all lost someone we loved and sharing what you feel will lessen the pain inside,” Whale said softly.

The two of them stared at each other for a long time before Belle spoke.

“Thank you, Victor, but there’s no need to worry about my well-being. I’m perfectly capable of looking after myself and I’m already in therapy with Archie for a while now…and he told me I‘m making progress so, uh, thanks anyways for trying to help,” she mumbled before seeing herself out.

Whale was only being a good friend and Belle could see that. But she could not trust any of them, not when she believed they would see the worst of her. How could she talk about the man she loved when to the rest of the town he was painted as a vicious monster? How could she tell them she missed her husband without having them judge her for falling prey to a beast like him? 

It didn’t matter if he was dubbed a hero, the prejudice against Rumple still existed. They would nod their heads and give respect to her but she knew they would mock her behind her back, calling her pathetic for mourning his loss still. She was being pathetic, she thought.

Why hadn’t she moved on from him yet? Was it because there was a slim chance he could still be alive? Every fiber in her being was screaming at her to get a grip on reality, to wake from this horrid nightmare before she lost herself once more. She knew thinking about him would only make things worse but she could not help it. Everything in this town reminded her of him, it was too hard to let go.

“You could always leave here,” said Archie, as he scribbled something onto his little black notebook. 

Belle smiled softly.

“I-I can’t. I’m too scared of what will happen,” she replied.

He nodded and then wrote some more in his book, casting her an understanding look. He wiped his glasses before turning back to her. Belle felt her body tense a little as he leaned in closer to her but remained steady.

“How else do you feel, Belle? Tell me everything.”

She gulped as she adjusted herself on his couch. Where should she start? How could she even begin to explain how she felt on the inside? That all she wanted to do was sleep and sleep for the rest of her life. Was that the answer Archie was looking for?

“I’m always so tired, Archie. I mean that emotionally and physically-I-I’m sure that’s just the pregnancy but sometimes I feel like…I wish I didn't have to worry about all of this,” she replied motioning to her stomach, feeling sick to her guts at her own confession.

Hearing this, Archie immediately reached to take her hand in his and squeezed it firmly.

“Belle, listen to me, okay? I want you to know that you should always put yourself first ahead of everything else. You always come first, then the other stuff, alright? If you feel you can’t handle this, you tell me right now and I’ll do whatever I can to help you. Do you understand?” he pressed, his grip on her tightening.

“Y-yes,” she mumbled but he wouldn’t have it.

“Say it out loud for me, Belle. It’s important that you know this. Come on,” he urged.

“I…I always come first. Then the baby and everything else.” 

“Good, good, that’s good. Whenever you feel like things are getting difficult, I need you to say it to yourself, okay?” 

Belle nodded quickly, hiding her face as she wiped away at the tears from her eyes. She felt embarrassed, her cheeks reddening when she saw Archie turn his focus on something behind her, giving her time to collect herself.

“I, uh, promised Henry I’d do something for him,” she said attempting to change the subject so as to avoid the awkwardness that she faced. 

He seemed glad that she was talking more and she could tell he was excited at the progress she was making. The other sessions were fine but Belle always held back her emotions as she feared she would lose control of herself. The previous sessions had mostly comprised of Archie giving her encouraging thoughts to feed on while she sat on his couch motionless the entire time.

Now she felt she was ready to tackle on the harder stuff. Like Rumplestiltskin, she thought. She was finally brave enough to start talking about him now that it had been almost five months since his death. She had not yet accepted he was truly gone from this world but in her heart, he was lost to her. This helped her recover faster from the nightmares, thinking that it was only a matter of time before she found him again.

“He doesn’t remember what happened in the Underworld. His mothers…they took his memories away and I’ve been helping him to find a way to get them back. We’ve looked all over for a spell but there’s nothing to be found which is a little odd seeing as I remember having read a couple of books about them,” she explained a little too excitedly.

“I see. Belle, if you don’t mind me asking, there is an easier way to help Henry with his memories, right?” Archie asked, wiping his glasses again.

“W-what do you mean?” 

It took her a minute to realize what he meant.

“Oh, you mean-”

“-if you ask Emma or Snow to tell you what happened, couldn’t you simply pass the information to Henry? This is so much easier than researching for a spell that might not even exist and I'm sure they'd be more than willing to share that story with you,” he finished, leaning back into his couch with a smile.

She had thought about it but it felt too soon for that. She was being selfish, thinking the longer she avoided whatever that had gone down in the Underworld, the longer she could hold on to the hope that Rumple was okay. In truth, she was tired and was running out of faith. 

Maybe it was time to think about someone other than her. It had been so long since she’d given her word to help Henry and the poor boy was still out there, thinking he’d get his memories back one day. No, she’d given him her word and she would keep it.

“Why are you afraid of hearing the truth, Belle?” Archie asked when he saw she was holding something back.

He knew why. He’d asked her at the end of every session if she’d ever want to know what happened to him and she’d always shook her head, never giving him an answer.

“Do you know what, uh, happened to him?” she asked frantically.

He nodded once.

“Everyone knows, Belle. Except you.”

And Henry.

“He died honorably, Belle, if that’s what you’re scared of. He died doing the right thing and Henry Mills is alive because of it. Maybe if you heard the whole thing, it would give you some closure,” Archie’s voice was distant to her ears, barely registering what he said.

He died honorably. He died. Died. That was all she could hear echoing in the back of her head over and over and over.

Died. Died. Died. He was dead. He was gone. He wasn’t lost. He was dead.

She made up her mind in that instant. She knew what she had to do.


	6. Chapter 6

Emma Swan wrapped her coat around herself tighter as she looked around once more to see if the other woman had arrived yet. It was getting cold and she needed to be home soon to check on Killian. She couldn’t leave him alone for too long or he’d start acting up again.

“Emma!” she heard someone call.

“Regina, I’m here,” the blonde woman waved and watched as Regina half ran towards her, her hair flying behind her. She looked like she’d gotten out in a hurry, her shirt was buttoned wrong, her jacket all crumpled.

“What’s wrong? Is it Hook?” Regina asked rather alarmed as she caught up to her.

“No, he’s fine. It’s Henry.”

A strange look came upon Regina’s face; it was a look of despair and guilt. Emma was only too familiar with the expression, having seen her own reflection earlier that day.

“He’s going to figure out what happened soon, Regina,” she said.

Regina’s face darkened a little more at that. Emma herself was panicking, somehow maintaining her composure so as to not scare Regina even more. She knew this moment would come but she had never been prepared for it.

“How is that possible? I made sure every single book on memory recovery was destroyed from Gold’s shop and the library. There’s no way he could have found them, Emma. Are you sure?” the former queen asked with a weary tremble in her voice.

The truth was catching up to her and she feared what would happen when it did. They would lose their son forever if he figured out what they had done. Regina hadn’t been fully responsible for what fate had befallen Rumple but she played a part in it and she saw no version of the story where she would be forgiven by her son. 

“That’s just it, Regina. It was easy to get rid of the books on memory charms but the spell-it’s wearing off. Whatever spell Hades gave us isn’t working anymore. It will stop working fully and then he’ll remember everything again.”

“What? If I get my hands on that two-faced bastard…he told us Henry would forget what happened!” Regina exclaimed, her hands clenched into fists.

“Yes, but we didn’t ask him if it was permanent. We were fools asking for magic from the God of the Underworld and now it’s time for us to pay it. I don’t know how long it will take for the glamour spell to wear off of Henry either. If he finds that scar, it will only make him more determined to find the truth,” Emma sounded tired and scared now.

The two mothers looked at each other sorrowfully. They had already lost, the secret would soon be out and the town will finally learn the whole truth. Their son would see them for who they truly were; monsters. As much of a villain they claimed Rumplestiltskin to be, he did not deserve what had been done to him. He had given them his word to help and it was the heroes who had turned their back on him.

Regina still woke from nightmares, her dreams filled with her old mentor-friend, even-screaming her name, begging her to stop what she was doing. But it had already been done. She had made the choice to follow through and no amount of therapy could save her or any of their souls now.

“There is a way out, you know,” Emma said suddenly.

Regina only listened, it seemed she could do only that these days. She had grown weaker since the trip to Hell, it had broken her. Seeing all those faces had eaten away at her, their blood on her hands, it was all too much. 

“We could take him out of town. The curse Killian put around the town doesn’t work anymore and if we bring him across the town line, he won’t remember, right?” she asked, her eyes a little crazy.

Regina took a step back.

“You want to take our son away from his home?” she asked, a little too coldly.

“What other option do we have? Do you want him to hate us for what we did?” Emma was yelling now.

“Us? What do you mean us, Emma? You made the decision to save Hook, not us. You’re responsible for what happened to Rumplestiltskin, not me, not anyone else. Just you.”

“What happened to Rumplestiltskin?”

The two women spun around in shock to see none other than Belle French standing there. They stared at her, their mouths wide open, caught off guard. When it seemed Belle would not move until she got an answer from either of them, Emma spoke first.

“What?” she asked, stupidly.

“You heard me. I want to know what happened to Rumple. I also want to know why Regina thinks you‘re responsible to whatever it is that happened to him,” Belle answered and the anger in her voice was obvious.

“You want to know what happened? After all this time?” asked Regina, stepping closer to Belle. She was curious why Belle was suddenly interested in hearing what happened to Rumple when for the past few months she had avoided any conversation that involved their trip to the Underworld.

Had Henry put her up to this?

“Archie thinks it will help me get some closure. My due date is in a few months and I want to put all of the past behind me…even Rumple,” she said a little too quickly and Regina was not sure if it was a lie.

She felt sorry for the woman, that she had to do all of this alone without Rumple and it had been their fault. They had ripped away her chance of happiness to ensure they would get their happy endings. Some heroes they were, she thought bitterly.

“Alright, let’s find a more private place to talk,” Emma whispered and walked ahead, casting Regina a worried look.

Regina took in a deep breath. They’ve lied to hundreds of people already…how hard could one more person be? 

But she had to be careful, she thought, for Belle was not like the rest of the townspeople. She was awfully clever and she was also the wife of Rumplestiltskin and Regina could only pray that whatever tale they spun would be believable enough for her.


	7. Chapter 7

The sun had already set when the door to the shop flew open and a hurried pair of footsteps could be heard scurrying to the back room. Belle already knew who it was, but she waited to see anyways.

“Belle!” Henry yelled and she smiled.

She was just putting away a small glass vial away into its case and did not stop to greet Henry. He could wait, she needed to make sure the vials were all in place so she could lock it away someplace safe. She realized only yesterday that someone had broken into the shop but was unsure of what had been taken exactly. The inventory must have also been tampered with, she guessed, seeing that a few books she had registered onto there were no longer in the record.

“Belle, can we talk? This is important,” the boy whispered, approaching her.

She could sense the urgency in his voice but only when she turned to him did she see how he looked. The poor boy was a mess, his face was pale and he looked as though he was ready to fall any moment. His eyes weren’t his own, there was someone else there, it was a familiar one but that moment passed and she was staring at Henry’s brown eyes again.

“What’s wrong? You look ill, Henry! I should get you to the hospital,” she said alarmed as she took hold of the boy. He did not budge from the spot but rather swayed a little, his legs giving in. She caught him just in time before he hit the ground and half-carried him to the small bed by the corner. 

“Hey, hey, it’s okay, it’s just me. Can you see me?” she asked, waving her hand over his face and he nodded meekly.

“You have to help me, Belle,” he mumbled and she felt sorry for him. She nodded, encouraging him to continue. 

“Something’s happening to me and I-I don’t know…I feel like I’m not myself. I have dreams and sometimes I’m not even sure if they are. They look so real but I know it’s not and I keep having visions of myself in this cold, dark tunnel. Belle, what’s happening to me?”

This was too much to process, even for Belle. Her heart hurt for him, for she did not know how to comfort this boy who was obviously going through something. What had his mothers done to him? She was reminded of Rumplestiltskin right after he had been freed from Zelena’s curse. He often awoke in the middle of the night, his hand gripping Belle’s painfully tight, and raved on about being back in the small cage she had put him in. It took everything in her will to calm him down, to console him and to get him back to bed after that.

She was back in the same situation, this time with his grandson and she felt helpless again. She had an idea flash across her mind and quietly thanked herself for not being entirely useless. She couldn't help him with his dreams but she could distract him, even if it was temporary. She just needed time to call someone-

“Henry, hey, I've found a way for you to know what happened to you in the Underworld if you‘re still interested,” she started and he looked at her hopefully.

“How?” his voice was coarse.

“We don’t need to find a spell to get your memories back anymore. I know what happened, Henry. I can tell you,” Belle said, pushing his hair away from his face. The boy was running a temperature and she needed to get him to a doctor right away. 

“No, everything they’ve told you is a lie. Its what they’ve been feeding the whole town, Belle. Don’t tell me you fell for it too,” he groaned as he fell back on the bed, lifting his head slightly so as to give Belle room to place a pillow beneath him.

“I have to call your mothers, Henry. You’re sick,” she mumbled as she stretched his legs onto the bed and searched for a blanket in the cupboard.

“You don’t believe them, do you? Tell me you don’t,” he continued and Belle stopped in her tracks.

“I do, Henry. Everything they’ve said makes sense and I…trust them,” she said, lying through her teeth.

Regina and Emma had explained to her how they had saved Killian in the Underworld and were ready to head home when Henry got separated from the rest of them. When they found him, he was lying unconscious and was barely breathing. That was when Hades had appeared to them, offering a deal; another soul in exchange for Henry’s. Emma had turned to Rumple and he had agreed to give his life for Henry’s. That was why Emma had been held responsible for Rumple losing his life in the Underworld. She had been the one to come up with the idea of sending Belle’s husband to death so she could be reunited with her son again.

Of course, that was the version of events that had been set up by Emma Swan. Belle knew the story was a complete fabrication of what had happened, judging from the way Regina and the other woman were eyeing each other the whole time. There was just something not right about it.

When Belle had started to ask questions, they avoided it quickly by saying they had to look for Henry. They muttered another apology before scurrying out of the ice cream parlor without giving her another glance. 

But she decided to take what they offered because a part of her feared they had left him behind for another reason. She was scared he had done something wrong and they had sacrificed his soul to get even with him. At least in this story, he died a hero. At least this was a story she could tell their baby when it asked her what had happened to her papa.

She’d meant it when she had told them she wanted closure. And this was it. She wanted to move past this, she wanted to have a fresh start with this baby. The only way to do that was to let loose her clutch on her memories with Rumplestiltskin. She loved him with all of her heart but even she knew he‘d hate himself if he saw how she was suffering like this. Wallowing in her own sadness would do nobody any good, especially not their child who was on its way out to this world. 

“No, y-”

“-I do, Henry. I have to move on from this and you can’t take this away from me. I’ve been fighting this battle for far too long and it isn’t healthy for me to be holding out hope for him when I know he’s dead. He isn’t coming back and I have to deal with it before it’s too late for me. Henry, I’m going to be having a baby and all these thoughts aren’t going to help me. I’ve accepted it and you should too. If your mothers say that’s what happened, then that’s precisely what happened.”

She was done. She was sick of it all. The past was behind her now. I always come first, she muttered under her breath as she took hold of the blanket and walked back to where the boy lay.

She thought he’d given up and was about to call Emma when she felt his iron grip on her. She exclaimed in pain as Henry pulled her closer to him, throwing off the sheets she had put on him roughly.

“Henry, let go!” she yelled but he refused.

His other hand lifted his shirt and Belle gasped loudly. He let go of her instantly and groaned again.

Belle had her hands around her mouth as she stared at Henry’s chest; there was an ugly slash right below his neck that followed down to his stomach and it looked deep. There was only a scar now but Belle figured a gash as big as that would've been almost fatal to a boy of Henry’s age. Whatever had made that cut had to be a monster, she thought. It was long and rough like it had gutted him.

“W-where did you get that?” she asked, touching the scar. 

“I don’t know. I can’t remember. It just appeared a few hours after I started having those dreams. I have no idea what’s happening to m-”

He was cut off suddenly. His whole body began to tremble, his eyes were white and he was choking for air. Belle quickly tried to hold him down but it was of no use. She held his hand instead, squeezing it hard to remind him that she was here with him. It had been what she’d done with Rumple too after he’d woken up from the coma. He told her it was one of the things that had kept him alive those few weeks he had been in deep sleep.

“Henry, stay with me, please,” she begged as she looked around for her phone. She should have phoned someone earlier. The boy’s thrashing stopped after a while and his breathing turned shallow. Belle checked his pulse and was relieved to see he was still alive.

He was muttering something under his breath so she leaned in closer. It was hard to catch what he was saying but she soon realized he was saying the same thing over and over. She felt the hairs on the back of her head standing when she heard it.

“He’s saying goodbye, he’s saying goodbye, he’s saying goodbye…” he kept mumbling.

What did this mean? He’s saying goodbye? Who-?

Henry gasped for air loudly as he woke from his state, frightening Belle so much that she jumped back, almost falling. He looked at her strangely and smiled. 

“Henry, what-?” she couldn’t finish. She did not even know what to say.

What the hell was happening?

“He said goodbye, Belle. I saw him. I saw Mr. Gold.”

Belle sat on the bed and shook Henry again, this time a little roughly. Her voice was stuck in her throat, nothing would come out. He pointed to her phone on the floor and she reached to pick it up.

“He left you a message. I saw him saying goodbye,” Henry said, sounding a lot like a madman now.

“A message? How?” she asked skeptically but checked her phone all the same to see if she’d gotten any calls or messages from him. There was none. There was that crushing sense of disappointment she felt again in her chest.

“It could be enchanted, right? If he sent it from over there, he’d make sure to cast a charm or something on it first, Belle. Do you have anything that could break the spell?” 

Belle nodded, not stopping to think, as she scanned the shop for any books that could help. It could be a glamour charm or something of the like so she snatched a book from the shelf and flipped through it, reading through the pages as fast as she could.

“There! That one!” she shouted, pointing to a page on a recovery potion. Henry jumped out of the bed and the two of them quickly searched the shop for ingredients they needed to make the spell work. It took them almost half an hour and Belle was surprised no one had come to look for Henry yet. His mothers must not know where he is, she figured.

Belle kept eyeing Henry to see if he would faint again but he showed no signs of it. In fact, he seemed to be looking normal again, color had finally returned to his cheeks. She felt a little guilty that she was once again getting herself involved with this mess when she had just promised herself to move on from all this.

“Ready?” Henry asked as he stood over Belle’s phone, his hand stretched out.

She nodded, unsure. Belle watched as Henry poured the small potion on the phone, the liquid dissolving into it until there was no trace left. The two of them sat there on the floor with the phone in between them, waiting for something to happen. When it didn’t, Belle sighed.

She was about to get up when the phone began to vibrate and then a small shield appeared around it. Belle looked to Henry who encouraged her to take it into her hands. She flipped the phone open and a voice came through. It was a voice she never expected to hear again.

“Hey, Belle…”


	8. Chapter 8

Rumplestiltskin groaned loudly as he leaned his back against one of the broken pillars. He guessed it was night time, he was not even sure if what he saw was the sky, it was too dark to see. He felt a searing burn on his chest, and unbuttoned his shirt to reveal a deep gash that ran down his torso. He winced when he touched it, the wound seemed to be fresh. 

Looking around, he figured this was not the same place he had been in back when he had died months back. All of those memories seemed so distant to him now, as though they happened over a million years ago. He remembered how happy he had been before he’d come down here. How long had it been?

He knew time passed differently in the Underworld but he’d lost track of it when he fell unconscious. He tried to stand but his legs were too weak and he fell back with a grunt. He was stuck here, his legs failing him once again, even in hell.

Feeling his pockets, he pulled out his cell phone and sighed at it wistfully. All he wanted to do was call home, call Belle, and ask if she was alright. He needed to see her, he missed her too much. He was gone for too long already and she’d be worried for him.

He did not even realize that he had dialed her number and it was ringing. She wouldn’t pick up, of course, what with him being stuck here in Hell where the reception was terrible than Storybrooke. It went straight to voicemail and he couldn’t help himself.

“Hey, Belle…”

He paused. What on earth was he going to say?

“I know I left and you’re probably angry, you have every right to be, but I need you to hear me out. I, uh, thought I was doing the right thing by leaving you behind on this journey as it could’ve been dangerous.”

He stopped for a moment, scanning the area to see if there was anyone else. He’d thought he’d heard something coming from the distance but there was nothing to be seen.

“It was not my intention to leave without saying goodbye but I had no choice. I must admit, I thought I’d have returned in less than a week with that pirate. I hadn't expected to be stuck here like this,” he continued. 

He felt like a madman, recording a message that no one would ever hear. But he needed to do this, he needed to say goodbye to her. He had to.

“Forgive me, Belle,” he whispered, feeling his heart ache when he said her name again. He’d never get to see her, he realized. 

“I want you to know that I love you, even in this place...wherever this is. Your face will always be in my memory, your name on my mind and your love in my heart. After everything I’d done, you’d stuck by me and I am eternally grateful for it. If you, uh, somehow get this message…I want you leave town. It’s not safe for anyone, Belle. Take Henry too, if you can. And whatever you do, don’t trust Emma Swan or anyone else, please.”

There it was again. The strange rustling sound. There was a low growl this time. Time was running out-

“I’m afraid that‘s all I have time for. Take care of yourself and don’t you ever blame yourself for what happened to me, sweetheart. I don’t know what story the Charmings’ have planned but I hope it’s enough for you to move on from me, love. I truly did mean what I said about starting over with you, Belle, but alas, fate had other plans for me. Goodbye, Belle,” he finished, planting a soft kiss on the phone screen.

He placed the phone close to his chest and let the tears flow from his eyes. Why was it so hard to say goodbye? He couldn’t let go of her, it was too hard.

“Thank you, Belle,” he mouthed silently and ended the call. He flung the phone to a corner in a fit of rage. Why was nothing ever easy for him? 

He loved her and he lost her. And it was all his fault. He had taken in all of the darkness and this was the price that he’d pay. He would never get to see Belle again, never get to hold her or kiss her. Belle French would only be a name he’d keep in his thoughts and nothing more.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, it was cold and he felt a shiver run through his body.

“Let’s go,” it commanded. 

He twisted the wedding ring on his finger before nodding.

His time was up.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Belle makes a decision; one that could very well put both her and the baby's life at risk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating...I went on a trip yesterday and I didn't bring my laptop along so I couldn't post the chapter but here's one now :)

Belle was still holding the phone tightly to her chest. It had been almost an hour since she‘d heard Rumple‘s message. Henry’s hand from Belle’s shoulders hadn’t budged either, waiting for the older woman to say something.

"Goodbye, Belle."

Goodbye.

He’d said goodbye. To her.

She tried to process this but it all seemed unbelievable. She thought she'd gone mad but Henry had convinced her that the message they’d heard was real, and that it really was Rumplestiltskin's voice. She was heartbroken from how horrible his voice sounded, he had taken pauses like he had difficulty breathing. His voice was hoarse; he was either injured or he was trying not to cry. 

She'd always thought she was angry with him but after listening to the call, she'd felt nothing but sadness. She must have forgiven him at some point, that was the only explanation for her receded anger. Perhaps Archie had been right after all...maybe she was ready to let go of him and start afresh a new life.

This was the sign she’d been waiting for; he had asked her to move on, hadn't he? She could just forget about all of this, put it behind her back but it felt wrong. He’d said something along the lines of not trusting Emma or the others…what had that been about? He’d asked her to leave town and bring Henry…he wouldn’t have asked her if it wasn’t important. Did he truly believe they were in danger?

She had a decision to make; forget the life she'd had with Rumple and start a new chapter without him or she could dig until she found some more answers. 

“B-Belle?” Henry’s voice was small and squeaky.

“What is it, Henry?” she asked, wiping her face and turning to him. She did her best to smile but it did not work. Instead, she grimaced before he pulled her into a hug. She held on to him tightly, refusing to let go. She was glad that he was here, she couldn’t bear to be alone at a time like this. 

“Thank you,” she sniffed as they parted from the embrace.

“He's alive, Belle. You have to find a way to bring him back. You're going to save him right?”

She felt like she was being ripped apart.

I always come first, she thought. She couldn’t just leave everything here to go on a rescue mission for a man who could already be dead. She’d not only be risking her own life but her unborn child as well. She’d always hated the Charmings’ for endangering Henry’s life when they had brought the boy into the Underworld with them and yet here she was, thinking of doing the same thing to her own child.

If she died down there, what disturbing fate would befall her baby? She’d read about the demons that ran around in that horrid place and suddenly was unsure of everything. Belle had always been impulsive in her decisions but now she had a chance to think things through. 

She thought of calling Archie to ask for his help but quickly decided against it. He’d be biased and wouldn’t agree on endangering her or her baby’s life for Rumple. No one would agree; they all thought she was better off without her husband. 

“We could go down there together, Belle! I can take us there…all you need is my blood and the ferryman will come. All we n-”

“-Henry! Henry, we can‘t be rash about this!” she exclaimed, watching as the boy in front of her began to lose it. He was throwing his hands around, a wild look in his eyes.

“What’s there to think about? If you love him, then you c-”

“-it’s not as simple as that!” she yelled and he stopped. He seemed almost affronted that she wouldn’t let him finish. They were both red in the face, too caught up in the argument to realize they were becoming slightly unhinged.

He threw his hands up in defeat and waited for her to explain herself. She was starting to get annoyed by Henry now, he wasn't thinking things through properly. That was to be expected of a teenage boy but still, he should know better. He’d been in the Underworld before, did he think it was a picnic down there?

“I’m pregnant, Henry. I can’t just drop everything and head down to Hell itself. I have to think about myself, my baby, my life…if it really is worth it to go after Rumple. We don’t even know if he’s still alive! I mean, we don’t even know when he sent me that message…its been months!”

Henry walked to her, silent but sure, and reached for her hand. Taking it in his, he placed it on her chest and she could feel her heart racing. What was he doing?

“What’s your heart tell you, Belle? Is he alive?” he asked.

She looked at him with despair. In her heart, she had always believed that he was out there still, waiting to be saved...but could she risk everything she had on a whim? She nodded at him.

“I know you’re scared, Belle, but you don’t have to be. You’ve saved him countless times before, even from death, so what’s stopping you now? Fear? Someone once taught me that if you do the brave thing-”

“-then bravery will follow,” she finished.

He was wrong. But he was also right, wasn't he? Belle knew Rumple would've risked everything to save her if it had been her who was stuck there so why shouldn't she do the same? She loved him just as much as he loved her, didn't she? 

She had to find him. She had to bring him back home. Back to his family. She should at least try.

“But you’re not coming with me, you hear me?” 

He opened his mouth to argue again but with one look from her, he stopped. Nothing Henry could say would change her mind about it so he did not bother to put up a fight.

“When-?”

Belle patted her belly and turned to Henry.

“Tonight.”


	10. Chapter 10

It was around midnight and the whole town was quiet. Storybrooke was in darkness, there was no movement anywhere in the town. Minutes later, two figures could be seen running out of Mr. Gold's to a Cadillac parked nearby. They got into the car and the silence around town was broken by the sound of the engine starting.

Belle looked to Henry, taking in deep breaths. He nodded to her and she hit the gas, the car accelerating at full speed. They zoomed past familiar sights, taking it all in for what could possibly be the last time. Belle felt like her heart would leap out of her chest at the rate it was beating.

They drove further and further down the road, Henry looking out the window to see if anyone was after them. She stopped the car right by the lake and waited for a moment to see if anyone would jump out at them.

She felt the adrenaline rushing through her veins as she got out of the car and walked towards the lake. She stood right by the edge, taking in the fresh air with a slight hint of sadness. This was the last place Rumple had stood in in Storybrooke before he walked into the Underworld to meet his doom. 

It was dark, the sky had little stars but that did not change the fact that the night was still beautiful. The trees loomed over her head, the branches stretched out and cast a large shadow on her. She heard Henry trudge up to her and she began to have second thoughts.

What would she do when she landed in the Underworld? She had no plans, no magic, nothing. And what would she say to Rumple when she found him again? How would she explain herself to him? He would be mad, she knew, if he learned she’d taken the risk of bringing their unborn child into that hellish place.

“You ready?” Henry asked.

She wished he’d just do it already. She feared if he kept asking her, she’d turn cold feet and run back home. 

“Yes,” she said with breathy voice.

Henry moved to stand next to her, kneeling just so that his hand was an inch away from the water. With a single move, he pricked his hand with something and drew blood. The boy dipped his hand into the water and Belle swore she saw something glide under the ripples and disappear a second later.  
The air turned cold and she felt chilled to the bone. She turned to Henry to see he looked equally blue in the face. 

From afar, Belle spotted a shrouded figure on a small boat, it was getting closer to where they stood. She felt Henry’s hand move up to hold hers, he was afraid.

“It’s okay,” she soothed him as the thing, Charon was it, stopped in the middle of the lake. She’d have to wade out to the boat, she realized.

“Let me come with you, Belle,” the boy whispered, his hand pulling hers back. She wanted to let him but couldn’t bear to put him in danger like that. He had already been down there once and looked what had happened to him. Still, if she took him with her, she could keep an eye on him.

The warning Rumple left for Belle was repeating itself in her mind. He’d asked her to leave town with Henry. Should she take him away from this place? If she left, there was no saying what would happen to the boy...

“Henry, I-”

There were yells coming from the opposite side. A minute later, Snow and Charming were running towards their direction, screaming at them to stop. Belle gave Henry’s hand a squeeze before stepping into the lake. 

She had braced herself for the cold she would feel but it never came. To her surprise, the water was strangely warm like her body had already adjusted itself to the temperature. 

“Belle!” she heard Snow yell.

Both her and her husband were clutching Henry, their eyes imploring her to come back.

“I’m sorry!” she screamed back. 

What else had she left to say?

“Why?” it was Charming’s turn to shout now.

Why indeed?

“He needs me…wherever he is. I have to bring him home,” was all Belle could say.

She thought Charming would jump into the water after her and would forcibly make her climb back ashore but he did not. They nodded to her understandingly while Henry pulled away from their grasp.

Belle blew Henry a small kiss, smiling until it hurt. She could not let him see that she was afraid. If she did, he might come running after her. Henry was in safe hands, she knew that now. No matter how terrible this secret they were keeping from him was, Belle knew they would never do anything to hurt him. He was their family, something Belle would never be to them, and they would give their life for him. 

The three of them watched as the timid woman disappeared behind the thick mist, catching a last glimpse of her brown hair and blue coat. 

Snow looked to her husband, almost tearful. Charming, however, had not averted his gaze from the spot Belle had stood in before vanishing into the darkness.

“We’re sorry, Belle…find it in your heart to forgive us.”


	11. Chapter 11

Belle had reached the boat’s edge before she realized she had a problem and an awkward one at that. How on earth was she going to climb aboard the boat with her condition? Her pregnant belly was weighing her down, she was struggling to find a way to get onto the boat without hurting herself or her pride for that matter. 

“Excuse me?” she squeaked. 

The ferryman turned to her and she held back a gasp. She had not been prepared for what she saw, despite having read all about him hours before. The books had not been wrong, she noticed, but they were not entirely right either. It was stated that the ferryman, Charon, often changed his appearance according to the passengers he was boarding but they never explained why. It had also mentioned that he had a vicious look upon his face but clearly had not elaborated on just how frightening it truly was.

She stared up into the glowing red eyes and found them almost entrancing. What was it with her and the fascination she held for monsters, she wondered. Her eyes adjusted to him, and she began to notice details in his face she hadn’t earlier. His face was bony, he had a beard and messy hair hidden beneath the hood he was wearing. There was a weariness to him, he looked tired and she couldn't blame him...how many centuries had he spent doing this job?

“Could you help me?” she asked, forcing herself to sound as polite as she could. 

Charon stared her down for what seemed like a century.

“I can’t do it myself,” she said pointedly.

Was he deaf? Or was this something she needed to do herself? She was just about to ask if he could hear her when he extended his hands out to her. His hands were-well-not all there. Parts of his skin appeared to have peeled off until his bones could be seen jutting out. She took hold of it and he hoisted her up with ease, as though she weighed less than a feather to him.

She watched as he began to row, fascinated with the magic that flowed through every stroke he made as the boat sailed smoothly across the lake. It began to get darker and darker until the only thing she could see were Charon’s eyes, glimmering like two rubies in the dark.

“How long will this take?” she started. 

He did not reply but if looks could kill, Belle felt sure she’d be a pile of ash by now. She could not tell if he was annoyed by her but she decided to pry some more. After all, it wasn’t everyday she could get the chance to talk to the infamous boatman who traveled between the world of the living and the dead.

“Don’t you want to know why I’m going to the Underworld?” Belle asked.

He replied her with some more silence.

Perhaps he does not care, she theorized. There must be something that would interest him enough to get him talking. 

“Do you get lonely here?” 

Belle knew she was pushing him over the edge with her questions. But she felt lonely sitting here, not knowing when she would reach her destination and wanted to keep busy. Even if it meant pissing off the only other person there.

“It must be awfully tiresome to go back and forth to two different worlds all the time.”

There was a noise. Belle looked to Charon, tilting her head curiously. 

Did he just…snort?

“How do you manage that?” she pressed on.

She waited to see if he would speak but he simply continued to row. She gave up after that but did not stop talking. She began to explain to him the details of her mission about how she was going to find a way to bring Rumplestiltskin back with her, where they could finally be together again. 

Occasionally, he would grunt in displeasure or bemusement-she was not sure. Ignoring it, she went further into her love life, casually giving away her entire life to a creature who seemed to have no interest whatsoever in what she had to say. The journey to the Underworld took longer than expected and deep down, she was glad.  
She was extremely nervous. She had no clue what she would do when she arrived in Hades. Belle did not even know if she would be given permission to enter the place, let alone find someone who would help her locate Rumplestiltskin. The Underworld was made up of many levels and going through all of them would cost her more than a hundred years, a leisure she could not afford.

Besides the lack of planning she had, Belle was also scared to meet Rumple again. It had been so long since she’d seen him…how would he look like now? Hell, she had changed so much since that night they’d spent together. She glanced down at her stomach, missing home very much all of a sudden.

The boat came to a stop, Belle felt a slight tremor as the boat shook lightly.

“Are we here?” she questioned, knowing full well he wasn’t going to answer her.

She looked to where his eyes were at and felt the air being sucked out of her lungs. Her surroundings began to grow brighter and brighter until she could finally see everything clearly. It was a beautiful sight, despite being called the entrance to Hell. There was a huge gate in front of her, it was rusted but nevertheless still stood majestically, looking over a vast sea of nothingness. All around them were big craters of rocks, and they seemed to be glowing. The boat glided close until it was inches apart from the gate.

Her hand moved to touch the gates but she was stopped by a growl.

She leaped away when she caught sight of three pair of yellow eyes and rows of pointy teeth from the other side of the metal barriers. This must be the three headed dog that guarded the entrance of the Underworld, Belle recalled. She'd seen a picture or two in one of the books she'd read but they were terrifying to witness firsthand. Sometimes it was better to just stick to the books.

“Easy, boy.”

Charon’s voice was rough but there was a gentleness to it as he spoke to the dog. It stopped growling but the anger in its eyes had not yet faded. 

“Cerberus,” she called and saw the dog turn to her, baring its teeth.

“Yes, that’s right.”

It amazed her to no end to see that the ferryman was finally talking, and to her. 

“What’s wrong?” she asked, hoping he would not go back to pretending as if she did not exist. He didn’t.

“He’s not going to let you enter…not while you still have this,” Charon spoke and the next thing she knew, he had plunged his hand into her chest and removed her heart. Belle watched with horror as he held her beating heart out to her, she could see it throbbing still.

“W-what did you do?” 

He chuckled lowly.

“This is what’s preventing you from going in. Cerberus will tear you limb from limb if you enter the gates of the Underworld with that in your chest,” he motioned to her heart. Belle took it from him, marveling at the sight of it with only a mild feeling of disgust.

This wasn’t the first time she’d seen her heart out of her chest and she was certain this wouldn’t be the last. 

“Do I just hold it when I go in?” she asked, rather stupidly.

He snorted again, much to Belle’s annoyance. He took the heart from her and conjured a chain out of thin air, and hung it there. The heart sized down until it looked like a small charm. Charon waved his hand again and the chain hung around her neck.

“If you lose that, missy, you’re stuck here forever.”

Belle nodded and walked closer to the gate once more, forcing herself to be brave. The dog, Cerberus, dropped its head when her hands reached to touch the metal bars. There was a loud clang, the gates creaked loudly as they began to open.

Cerberus stepped back, giving Belle enough room to step off the boat onto the platform it stood in. Charon moved his hand, for a second she thought he was going to help her off but instead he threw something to the dog. One of the heads caught it and swallowed before a fight could ensue between the other two heads.

Belle quickly moved away when the gates began to close up once more until it stood between her and Charon. She waved at him and he chuckled again as his small boat began to move.

“Thank you…for everything,” she called out to him, hoping he'd heard.

“Watch out for this one, Cerberus! She’s got quite the mouth on her,” he muttered as he rowed out to the darkness. Belle sighed as she looked at the dog, her hand clutching the small heart charm around her neck protectively.

“So, where do we go now?”

The heads barked in the direction of a long tunnel before walking towards it. Belle followed glumly, whispering a lullaby to her child, hoping it was doing alright so far. The air was cold and she could tell Cerberus was as uncomfortable as her in there, it kept yelping every few minutes.

The silence was deafening, the only thing that could be heard was the sound of her footsteps echoing around the tunnel. Occasionally, she felt like they weren’t the only ones in there. She would feel someone breathing down her neck but when she turned, there would nothing there. Belle told herself not to worry, that she had the three-headed dog to keep her safe.

They were almost through the tunnel when Cerberus suddenly stopped, the three heads growling angrily at something. Belle peeked from behind them but could not see anything. Perhaps the dog had a special ability to see things normal human beings couldn’t. 

“What’s wrong?” she asked, forgetting that she was talking to a dog.

She got her answer a minute later when she heard them. She was not sure what it was or rather, who it was. There were a thousand screams and shrieks all around her, the silence earlier vanished underneath the torturous sounds echoing throughout the tunnel. The voices began to form shapes of all kinds, some looked like distorted figures while some looked almost inhuman.

They began to bite and pull at the dog whilst it tried hard to get away. It fell flat on its back, yelping weakly as the ghostly images tore at it. Belle looked around for anything that could save the poor dog from the pain it was going through. Without thinking, she ran straight into the projections, hoping to scare it away. Belle began to scream at it, pushing it off Cerberus and it worked. They vanished without a trace, leaving the whimpering dog lying there in a mangled mess. Belle touched one of the heads with shaking hands and it nuzzled its nose into her palm.

“Shhh…hey, it’s okay. They’re gone…you’re alright,” she muttered, running her hand across a scar on its body. She felt its heartbeat weaken, it looked like it was dying. 

“How do I help you? Tell me-just show me something!” she cried.

It gave a slow howl, it was motioning for her to come closer. She did and Cerberus nudged her to lay down next to it.

“You want me to keep you company?” 

All three heads nodded at once and she smiled sadly. She placed her back against its body and shuddered at the warmth radiating from it. Belle cozied up to it, stretching her legs out. She supposed she could do with the rest what with all the walking she’d been doing.

She began to hum the lullaby she’d been singing earlier as she looked towards the end of the tunnel. She’d spent months without Rumplestiltskin…what harm would one more night do. Belle did not know what would happen to Cerberus, if it would live or die, but she would deal with it later. For now, she needed to rest her body and mind. She felt her eyes close and dozed off in the cold, darkened tunnel with only the three-headed dog as her source of comfort.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the comments and I'll try to make the chapters longer! The next chapter Belle gets another step closer to finally finding Rumplestiltskin :) Hope you all enjoy :)


	12. Chapter 12

“Rumple!” she screamed as she ran towards him.

He was lying face down on the earth but she knew it was him. Belle could feel her feet lift from the air, that was how fast she was running. He hadn’t heard her or else he would’ve said something. It was when she neared him when she saw the pool of blood beneath him. She felt her knees graze against the rough ground as she fell next to him, the hurt barely registering to her brain. She scooped him and gently placed his head on her lap, cradling him…or what was left of him.

Belle stifled a gasp when her eyes roamed his face, looking for the beauty she had once found there. Now there was nothing but a sunken face, all blood drained out of his body. His eyes stared back at hers but there were no signs of life to be found, it was like looking into death.

“Rumple! It’s me, Belle! L-look he-here, Rumple…Rumplestiltskin!”

It seemed pleading did not work. He could not hear her anymore, could not see her anymore, could not talk to her anymore. He was nothing…

Her hands were covered in blood, her eyes searching his body to see where he was hurt. She pulled his shirt open and found a gash that looked eerily similar to that on Henry’s body except Rumple was still bleeding. She touched his face, it was already cold. What was happening? She bent down so her lips brushed against his lightly and suddenly she was on the cold floor.

Belle sat upright, looking around confusedly while beads of sweat dripped down her forehead. It took her a minute to remember just where she was and that she had just had a nightmare. Taking a deep breath, she pulled herself to her feet, shaking off the dream she’d had. It had been so real, she thought, like it actually did happen. She noticed that Cerberus was nowhere to be seen. She had a decision to make; she could either wait in that tunnel for someone else to come for her or she could get out of the horrid place as fast as she could.

She opted for the second, scared that if she waited too long, the ghastly creatures that had ripped Cerberus apart would return and harm her instead. She walked without looking back and found herself out of the tunnel in mere minutes. Outside, she was met with a beautiful sight.

All around her were plants of all sorts. Creepers hung around her as she passed by them, amazed by the sheer beauty of it all. Who’d have expected a place like this to hide such pretty secrets? She began to notice that the plants changed color whenever she touched them and soon she was tapping at all of them, watching as they shifted from a deep purple to a shocking red or blue.

The garden like place came to an end after a while and Belle came to a stop in front of a wishing well. It reminded her of the one back home, where she and Rumple had gotten married amongst other things, and was hit by memories she had kept locked away. Her hands reached for the small pail that hung above the well and saw it was already filled.

“I really am thirsty,” she said aloud, scooping some of the contents out and brought it to her lips. She tasted it and felt the tiredness and stiffness she'd felt vanish without a trace. She took yet another sip and felt her body grow somewhat stronger. She'd been too busy quenching her thirst with the magical drink to notice that she was not the only one there.

“Ahem.”

Belle heard someone clear their throat and turned to see a rather tall man dressed in dark clothes. His hair was neatly combed back, a bow attached to his collar. He was smiling widely at her, as thought he knew who she was.

“Belle?” 

It did not sound like a question, but rather a confirmation. Belle nodded her head, her back grinding against the back of the well. Her hands grasped around behind her, looking for something to use as a weapon in case the man suddenly attacked her. There was no telling what sort of strange things happened down here.

“Who are you?” she asked.

He stretched his hands out and bowed almost mockingly. He smiled, baring his teeth and Belle suddenly knew who he was.

“You’re-you c-it can’t be!” she exclaimed.

“Charon was right…you are smart,” the man said and Belle could not believe her ears.

This man was…Cerberus? How could that be possible when he was a three-headed dog just moments back? Hadn’t he been close to death after the encounter with those creatures in the tunnel? Questions were crossing her mind so quick that she could keep track of it all.

“You-how?” she felt like someone had ripped her tongue from her mouth. She had never been so dumbfounded before. She’d seen magic like this before but this was different. She knew it was.

“Transformation curse,” was all Cerberus said.

“So this is your real form?” Belle asked suspiciously.

He laughed as he stepped closer to her.

“No. What you saw yesterday…that was the real me. This, I’m afraid, is just a temporary state I’ve been placed under,” Cerberus explained, walking a little more closer to her until they were inches apart.

Now that they were standing closely, Belle could see his face properly. He was quite handsome, that much she could tell, but there was a certain roughness to his features. He had that dead look in his face, like Charon had displayed. Maybe it was an Underworld thing, she figured as she turned her head away from his burning gaze.

“What happened to you?” she mumbled as she moved away from him. He smiled lightly, leaning against the well.

“Those things you saw…they were actually souls of the dead. You see, my job is to make sure the living never enter here and the dead never leave here. That tunnel was the last obstacle Hades placed and I was the-well-guard dog,” he said grinning.

“If the trapped souls get out of that tunnel, I’m afraid they will be set free into the world of the living. Your world,” Cerberus continued but this time he did not have a friendly look on his face. Belle watched as his gaze dropped to her neck where her heart hung and felt her hands leap up to it.

“Those things were trying to leave!”

“Yes, and they would have had it not been for you, Belle. If you hadn’t, there’s no telling what sort of chaos would fall unto the world. Not to mention what Hades would do if I make another mistake…” his voice trailed off. He looked away from her, lost in his thoughts.

“Another mistake? You’ve let the souls go before?” Belle could not help herself from asking. She was much too curious as to what happened and had to find out.

“I let a couple of living souls inside the gates before and I was severely punished by the Master, as you can see,” he spoke bitterly, gesturing to himself.

“He punished you to take human form? How is that a bad thing?” 

“He cursed me to spend my days like this and my nights in my real form. It really is a burden to walk and talk like one of you.”

It was only then Belle realized what he had said. She almost jumped at him in glee.

“Wait, you said you let living souls in here?” she asked, barely containing herself.

Cerberus eyed her suspiciously before crossing his arms.

“Yes, they wanted a passageway into the Underworld and tricked me to get inside.”

“I don’t suppose if Rumplestiltskin’s a name you’ve heard of in here?” Belle asked, the feeling of excitement only building up inside her. She prayed that he would at least remember the name.

“Who wouldn’t forget that bastard? He’s the reason I’m stuck like this…if he hadn’t opened his mouth-”

Belle thought she’d kiss Cerberus at one point. Of course Rumplestiltskin had tricked Cerberus into letting them in, it was what he did. It did not shock her to hear how displeased even the land of the dead was of the imp and his tactics. She could not stop the laugh that erupted from her.

“Do you know where he is? Please, take me to him!”

Cerberus raised an eyebrow, looking down at her thrilled face, obviously amused at how much liveliness she was showing. Her hands had snaked up to his shoulders, tugging at him in a friendly manner and he could not help but smile. 

“Alright, calm down, won’t you?” he said, shaking her hands off him. 

Belle blushed, realizing that she might have gone too far. 

“Normally, I don’t do anyone favors but you saved me from a lot of trouble last night and I always pay my debts when its due. I will take you to your Rumplestiltskin but before that, I must confide with Hades first. If he grants you permission, you will be allowed to, ah, do whatever you want with that imp,” he replied.

“Oh…” 

“No worries, Belle. Hades is quite busy these days with all the, uh, big return party he's planning so I’m sure he won’t mind your request. He’s in a good mood, you see,” Cerberus said, grinning like a school boy.

Belle went on her toes and kissed him on the cheek. Cerberus blinked before wiping away at his face. She laughed again, throwing her head back and linked her arms around him. He did not refuse and so the two of them walked away from the well, leaving the beautiful garden behind them.

They now strode on paved ground, lamp posts planted by the side, the lights leading them down a straight path. Belle noted that she preferred the company of Cerberus much more than Charon, for he did not tire of answering her questions but rather welcomed it heartily. He must be as lonely as her to enjoy her company like this, she thought.

“So what happens with the three heads? Do you all look like this or-?”

“Well, we alternate between three people. Sometimes I look like me and other times I look like someone else. Depends really, on who’s turn it is to suffer,” he answered.

“Is it so bad being a human?”

“It is to a dog who’s been a dog all his life! I think that’s why Hades punished me in this way…he knows how much I despise people. Probably thought it’d be funny too…”

Belle noticed that though Cerberus seemed to hate Hades’ choice of punishment, the dog (or man) always spoke in a tone of fondness and respect for his Master. 

“Does he punish people often?” she quizzed, looking to him. He seemed reluctant to answer and she decided not to push him on it.

“He…he does what’s best. Everyone else always hates him for the choices he makes but they don’t see that he doesn’t have a choice in it either. It’s his job to do what he d-does- and he accepts it without question. He’s not all that bad, you know…he’s just-”

“-misunderstood…yeah, believe me, I know what you mean,” Belle finished.

Rumple often did bad things, yes, but they were mostly for good reason. He had sacrificed so many people to have Regina cast that curse but it had been to find his son. So many lives ruined so he could save just one-and he’d failed at that too. It had all been for nothing and all he got in the end was hate.

She’d wanted so desperately to save him but she could not see that there had been nothing left to salvage inside of him. When Bae died, the last light inside of him had been extinguished, not even his love for her could bring him back. She should have known that True Love wouldn’t have been enough to save him from the darkness, he was already a goner.

She’d spent months wondering if it had been her fault, if her lack of care for him was what had driven him to madness. If the reason he wanted power above love was because she hadn’t shown him enough of it. The truth, which she came to accept later, was that he craved for power because it made him believe in himself. He had aged with magic and had formed the belief that he could not live without it, could not truly be someone without it.

But he was a changed man now, wasn’t he? The curse had been lifted and now that she was finally here, she could bring him back and they could be a family again. The bitterness of the past would stay in the past, the future was what mattered. 

"They don't know him like I do," Cerberus interjected.

“Sometimes the best book has the dustiest jacket and sometimes…the best teacup is chipped.”

That was all she could say and sometimes that was enough.


	13. Chapter 13

They spent almost two days walking to wherever it was they were headed, and the closer Belle got to finding Rumplestiltskin, the worse she felt. She fell quiet, sparing Cerberus of her questions when he told her they were almost home. His home. Not hers. She was still a long way from Storybrooke and even further away from the Enchanted Forest, where she had spent her childhood and most of her adulthood in.

She missed the pink manor and the town library but she ached more for the feel of the trees around her, she craved for the little reading corner in the Dark Castle, where the fire would burn and keep her fingers warm as she finished the books Rumple had brought for her from his travels.

“Is everything alright, Belle?” Cerberus asked, slowing down to match her footsteps.

"Oh, yes," she sighed. He looked upset at her tone, he must think that he was boring her now.

“So, do you usually walk your guests to Hades like this?”

He brightened at that.

“Only pretty little ones like you, I’m afraid,” he replied teasingly. Belle giggled and waited for him to answer more seriously. 

“No, its just you and a couple of other people, really,” he muttered, adjusting the crooked bow so that it was straight again.

“What makes us so special? How do the others go through this place then?”

She shivered as she said that. She pulled the coat closer to her chest and rubbed her hands together. The air was getting chillier, probably because they were heading further inside the fortress like place. 

“Its just who you are, I guess. Everyone finds themselves in different places after they cross that tunnel. The Underworld shifts and changes to fit the type of people that they are, you see,” Cerberus seemed like he was regretting giving away all sorts of information about this place,especially to someone who was not even dead.

“How’s that?”

He didn’t seem to mind it so much though. Maybe he thought he could trust her with its secrets.

“You, for example, found that little garden and the magical well. That garden was made by Hades himself for his lover so she could see the beauty that grew in a place like this. Not many people are given access to a magic like that so you should count your lucky stars, Belle.”

Belle was astounded. She found it hard to believe that a God like Hades, the man who ruled over the dead, could make something so pure as that tiny garden.   
She wondered what Rumple and the rest of them had been in. 

“Do you know where Rumplestiltskin went after he crossed the tunnel?” 

She was afraid to hear the answer, what kind of place would he have ended up in after all the horrible things he’d done since he’d been the Dark One. 

“If I’m not wrong, I think they ended up in a town of some sort. Filled to the brim with people who’d been murdered, some of them by him too I’m sure,” he said, reading her face to see if any change would fall upon her.

She remained stoic and Cerberus looked impressed at how much control she had over her emotions. She was the oddest thing he’d ever set his eyes on and this was coming from a three headed dog.

There were bells ringing everywhere all of a sudden. Belle closed her ears with her hands to shut out the deafening noise that had come out of nowhere. Cerberus however walked coolly ahead of her with a sly smirk on his face.

“Where is that coming from?” she yelled through the noise, feeling as though her ears would explode in a second.

“We’re here,” he replied, halting right at the end of the road. All around them were tall trees, or at least that was it looked like. It was too dark to see but she thought she could see broken pillars lying all around them.

“Where is here, exactly?”

Cerberus did not answer but stared straight ahead. She joined him reluctantly, the two of them looking at what looked like a small light in the distance. Belle squinted and saw the light was getting bigger and brighter until it had enveloped the two of them. She squeezed her eyes shut in fear of turning blind, her hands wrapping around her stomach instinctively.

When she opened her eyes again, she was in the middle of a hallway. The huge room was lit up by floating lanterns and right and left, people were moving past her as if they were all running late for something. The noise that buzzed around the hall was like music to her ears, she was finally in a place that had actual people in it.

“Welcome to Hades, Belle!”

She drank in the sight greedily, never having witnessed something quite as lovely as this. It felt like one of those balls her parents had thrown back when she had been a child, one that she had never been allowed to attend because she’d been too young. She had gone to a few when she’d aged a little but she’d never gotten to experience it like this.

Lines of men and women dressed in black stood in a long line, holding up trays of what looked like food and drinks to the rest of the people there. She could hear a harp playing, the music was so enchanting that she felt her heart flutter and wanted to dance all of a sudden. 

“Come on!”

She heard Cerberus call but she had lost him among the crowd of people. She felt a hand pull her up to the front and she followed, smiling all the while at the guests. This must be the big party Hades had been planning to have, she thought as the two of them came to stand in front of a large rock. She took another look and realized that it was actually a throne that had been carved from blackened rocks, built so high that it could actually touch the ceiling. There were engravings that covered the top but it was much too tall for her to even see, let alone read.

There was a man seated there and judging from the way everyone seemed to be cowering whenever they approached him, she supposed that it was Hades. He was wearing what looked like a black cloak that reached below his knees and a handsome crown was planted atop his ebony hair.

He was rather wiry and lean but he had the softest look in his eyes when his gaze dropped down to her as he offered her a smile. He must have mistaken her for one of his guests or he would not be showing her this much courtesy. It was only a little later she found out that the smile he’d given her was actually intended for Cerberus who stood a little to the left of her.

Embarrassed, she blushed as Hades motioned for Cerberus to step forward. The noise died down almost instantly though when Belle turned, the crowd had not stopped talking. 

“There‘s this spell Hades cast around his throne that mutes out the background noise…its intended for private conversations so no one can eavesdrop on us,” Cerberus explained. The ground beneath them began to shake and soon enough, it turned into a platform of some kind and began to lift them into the air until they were on level with Hades.

The man sneered when he caught sight of Cerberus, no doubt enjoying his dog’s annoyance at being turned into a human. His eyes then shifted to Belle’s and she could not stop the sharp intake of breath she took when she looked at him. There was nothing cold or dead about Hades’ eyes, not like Charon’s or Cerberus'. When she looked into him, she could see sparks of fire behind them, and a thousand souls screaming into the abyss.

“Cerberus, my friend! To what do I owe the pleasure?” Hades asked.

“Hades, this girl is here for one of our, ah, inhabitants,” he murmured quietly. 

“And who might that be?” Hades asked again.

“Rumplestiltskin…he’s the one th-”

“Yes, I know who he is, Cerberus. What’s she want with him? If she’s another one of those village folk who’s here to stab him with a pitchfork or something-”

“She’s actually his wife, Sir.”

“Pitchfork?” Belle asked rather shocked.

“Wife?” Hades sounded equally as shocked as her.

“Yes, well, he’s really quite unpopular here. This is his wife and she wants to see him right away…with your permission of course,” Cerberus replied, glancing at the two of them with an amused expression.

He was certainly enjoying this exchange. 

“Are you here to kill him as well?” Hades quizzed, looking to her for an answer.

“No! I just need to see him…please,” she pleaded.

He leaned back into his seat, thinking to himself for a moment. When it seemed like he was not about to say anything, Cerberus spoke once more.

“She saved you a lot of trouble, Hades. This is the least you could do for her, you know…”

Belle could tell Cerberus was hesitant but she appreciated him speaking up for her anyway. Hades was interested in this piece of information as he urged Cerberus to elaborate.

“She stopped a few souls that had ambushed us whilst we were in the tunnel, Hades. They nearly killed me and had Belle not been there, there’s no telling what would’ve happened…”

“You can’t die here, Cerberus! You’re immortal here for crying out loud!” Hades jeered as he fidgeted with the crown on his head.

“But Belle scared the souls away from leaving. You’d be busy dealing with the escaped souls and you wouldn’t have been able to throw the party for her Highness’ return home now, would you?”

“How many souls were there?” the ruler of the Underworld asked.

“Hundreds. Probably more,” Belle mumbled, exaggerating just a little bit.

“I can’t just let you see anyone you like, girl. What will the rest of those poor sods think when I allow this to happen? They’ll all be barking down my door for the rest of their miserable lives, asking to be put together with their other halves,” Hades reasoned and Belle thought all was lost.

Cerberus looked defeated and he shook his head weakly at her. She had come so far and was about to be turned down for a stupid reason? 

“I don’t care. I’m not leaving until you give me what I want and what I want is your permission.”

She had no idea she had that in her. Her voice had come out stern and almost demanding that even Hades was held back. Cerberus grinned at her.

“You might want to listen to her, Hades. She’s pretty stubborn if you don’t know that already…you might want to send her on her way before your wife gets here. And we all know we wouldn’t want her to be disturbed by this mess now, do we?”

At this, he seemed to change his mind.

“Do whatever you want! Take her to the cell, Cerberus, and I never want to see you here again, you hear me? You and your husband have brought me enough trouble already…I should never have made that deal with him,” he grunted rather miserably.

Belle however was the complete opposite of that. Her hands rubbed her belly, she felt sore but ecstatic. She’d managed to convince Hades to let her see Rumplestiltskin again…now all she had to do was find a way out for both of them.

“You owe me another favor.”

It was Cerberus’ turn to look shocked now.

“I beg your pardon?” Hades asked, a little tinge of red creeping across his face as he furrowed his brows and leaned closer to her.

“I helped you out by making sure those souls didn’t escape from this world and in return, you’ve granted me permission to see my husband. However, we still haven’t discussed the fact that I saved Cerberus’ life,” Belle felt like she might be pushing it a little too much now.

Hades stood and Belle could see just how tall he was now. 

“You have an awful lot of nerve asking me for favors. Just who do you think you are?” his voice boomed.

“It’s just a favor…there’s no need to act like I’m asking you for your crown or anything,” Belle said sourly and watched as Hades’ hands moved up to his actual crown as though he were afraid she might snatch it away. He was about to retort when he stopped and sniffed the air. Confused, she eyed Cerberus who also seemed to have gone rather still. The air was suddenly filled with the sweet smell of roses and other flowers she could not quite place.

“She’s here…Cerberus, take her away right now!” Hades demanded as he ran his fingers through his hair and adjusted his clothes. He looked rather flustered and she was pretty sure he was blushing underneath all that tough exterior.

“That favor we talked about…do we have a deal?” 

“Do you have any idea who you’re talking to?” Hades snapped but she could tell he was distracted, he kept looking over her shoulders towards the large door behind her. This was the perfect opportunity to take advantage of him, she realized.

“Yes, I do. I’ve handled men like you before and I can assure you, you don’t frighten me in the least. Why don’t you just make the deal and I’ll leave you to it?”

Belle knew this was it; he would either agree or he’d kill her on the spot. 

“Fine! Cerberus, please, do me a favor and get rid of this silly girl! I have to get ready.” Hades commanded.

Cerberus bowed before pulling her back on the platform, the ground beneath them shaking as they descended. 

“My name is Belle by the way!” she hollered as they lowered down. She caught Hades rolling his eyes and he was lost to her sight, disappearing behind that humongous throne of his.

The noise that had died down returned, and there was excited chattering among the guests or whoever they were. She spotted Cerberus running past the crowd and she followed him in suit. Once they were outside, Belle felt herself being pushed up against one of the pillars and a hand came to close over her mouth.

“You’re mad, you know that? He would’ve killed you and not even I could have stopped him, Belle!” Cerberus whispered rather angrily. He stared at her, expecting a reply but following her gaze to where his hand was closing her mouth, he removed it sheepishly.

Belle took a breath before speaking.

“I know, I know and I’m sorry I used you as an excuse to get that favor from him. I just…I thought it was time I learned to get ahead of people for a change. It’s not like I’m going to use the favor for anything bad, Cerberus. Its just a backup plan, in case anything goes wrong,” she explained.

“I just hope this little ‘rescue operation’ is worth putting your life in danger, Belle. Not to mention your child’s,” Cerberus said, pointing to her stomach. Belle smiled.

Rumple had saved her life while putting his own in danger countless times before and she would do the same for him. 

“Take me to him, Cerberus. Take me to Rumplestiltskin,” she said, her voice trembling only a little bit.

Her hands rested on her stomach and smiled again at the thought of being reunited with Rumple.

“Let’s go find your Papa, my darling,” she cooed to her unborn child. She was just another step closer to getting her family back together.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is pretty long and fair warning-major angst ahead! Hope you guys enjoy :)

“So where are we headed?”

“To the lowest level, we’re heading down to the dungeons,” Cerberus replied.

Belle did not say much, mostly because her mind was abuzz with all the questions she had for Rumplestilstkin. She had not planned on finding him this fast and had not been prepared for it. Belle thought she’d have more time.

She looked around, the pretty sights had all been left behind as they now walked through a long corridor. There was no garden, no music, no people where they were going. This was the sort of thing Belle had imagined the Underworld to be when she’d gone through the books back at the shop.

There was a squelching noise and Belle looked down to see she had stepped into a puddle of water. There were holes on the ground, they looked like large craters. She glanced upwards to see that the roof of the corridor was actually a cave.

“Why was Rumple put down here?” Belle asked, curiously.

“It was for his own safety…not that he even cares,” he murmured dourly.

“What do you mean?”

“He gets attacked quite a bit here…most of the people he killed back in your world are stuck here because of him and they think that by hurting him back, they’ll get their closure and their souls will be at peace but that never happens, of course,” Cerberus explained.

“Can they do that? Can they kill him?” she asked, gulping.

“No, Hades has already warned everyone here not to lay a finger on each other, it was his job to punish the souls and not theirs, but unfortunately, some of that are a bit stubborn. The guards bring him here before things get too ugly, thankfully, but he always goes back to those vengeful souls, never mind how many times Hades has banned him from doing so. Sometimes I think he does it to repent but you never know, do you?”

But Belle did know. He must relish in the souls tearing into him, thinking that he deserved all the pain he felt. He had always accepted his fate, had always been too quick to give up on himself. 

“How badly do they hurt him?” she asked fearfully.

Cerberus sighed, looking at her with pity.

“Let’s just say that this world hasn’t been too kind to him.”

Belle wanted to say that her world hadn’t been kind to him either, that her world too threw him at his feet and stepped all over him while he lay there. Rumple hadn’t been an entirely good man but when he had woke from the coma a new man, no one had even bothered about him. While he had been in Emma’s custody, Belle had begged the Charmings' and Regina to help save him but none of them had cared. She had been the one to bring him back home, like she was doing now.

It was tragic really, that they only had each other. No one else was there to protect them, to keep them safe from harm. When Belle was in danger, Rumple would be there to save her and vice versa. They never truly belonged anywhere except to themselves. 

“Halt.” a voice commanded.

“Who goes there?” the voice asked again.

“It is only I, Cerberus, here to visit one of the fellow prisoners. I have full permission from Hades.”

A figure stepped out of the darkness. It looked like it was part tree and part man, its skin was covered in markings like tree barks had, though its eyes was a bright green almost resembling a cat's. The creature grunted and revealed a door that had not been there before.

“Come on,” Cerberus called as he vanished inside. Belle followed, flashing a small smile to the creature. It looked back at her in surprise, never having seen anyone who wasn’t afraid of it.They made their way further into the dungeons, little animals that resembled rats and roaches scurried away from them. Soon enough, they reached a huge room filled with hundreds of cells, jagged rocks surrounded them, barring them from any means of escape.

“He’s in the last one there,” Cerberus said, pointing to the furthest cell on the block.

As she moved to go, Cerberus pulled her hand and she looked at him. His hand moved to the chain around her neck and he snapped the heart charm off it. Belle watched as the heart expanded back to its usual size.

“Let me put that back in for you. You have nothing to fear from me, Belle, not anymore.”

She nodded as he gently pushed it back into her chest. She let out a gasp as she felt a little bit of life return to her. To hear her heart beating inside of her again was like music to her ears. She was the only living thing in this cold, dead place.

“Thank you for all you’ve done, Cerberus. I won't ever forget everything you've done for me,” she whispered as she pulled him into a tight embrace. He wrapped his arms around her.

“The feeling is mutual. Goodbye, Belle,” he muttered, breaking apart from her.

“I’ll see you again, Cerberus. I know I will.”

She waited there, watching Cerberus head out alone, he was probably going back to the entrance of the Underworld. She felt rather sad, seeing her only companion in this hellhole make his way back home without her. Shaking her head, she began her walk to Rumple’s cell, barely believing her own eyes. She heard strange noises and screams as she moved past the other cells, occasionally a hand would reach out of the cell and try to grab her. 

They kept muttering under their breaths, asking-no-begging to die. What had happened to them? She wondered what they could have done to deserve a fate like this. She was terrified that Rumple would be like this too; broken and tortured to insanity. That was nothing new for him but she felt a little bit of herself die whenever she thought of his suffering and all that he’d endured.

She was here.

She stood there, unsure of what to do, and then the cell door opened. She clenched her fists tightly before entering the cell. Everything was dark and had she not looked properly, she would have missed the small form of a man lying against the wall. She felt her heart skip a beat-

“R-Rumple?” her voice was hoarse.

She saw him lift his head lightly.

“It’s me. It’s Belle.”

There was a loud, terrible cough from him.

“What are you doing here?” he mumbled.

She nearly fell to the floor at the sound of his voice. This was real, she had found him, he was here. Everything was going to be okay. 

“What?” she asked, running to where he was. She felt her feet step on something; broken glass lay at her feet. 

“Have you come to keep me company again?” Rumple asked.

Belle scrunched her nose, confused. What the hell was he talking about?

“I’ve come to rescue you,” she replied and before she could continue, she was cut off by his laugh. Despite the fact she had no idea what was happening, she smiled at the sound of his laugh. It had been so long since she’d heard that familiar voice.

“Of course you have. You always do, don’t you? That’s new,” he whispered. He moved his hand and pointed it at her stomach.

Oh Gods. It all made sense to her now.

He thought he was imagining her. He’d told her how he had hallucinated her back when he’d been in Neverland, it had been the only way he had managed to stay sane. She had been his voice of reason always and it seemed she still was, even in the Underworld. She felt the tears stinging her eyes.

“No-hey, Rumple, it really is me. I’m really here!”

She crouched down, reaching for his face. He leaned into her touch and she gasped at the scars on his face. There were bruises lining his face, old or new, she could not tell in the dark. His hair was matted with sweat and blood, the stench overwhelmed her.

“I’ve got you now,” she whispered.

“Please go away, I want to be alone.”

He did not believe her. Frustrated, she grabbed him by his collar and kissed him, tasting the blood in his mouth. He grunted but she could feel his hands roaming her back, touching her hesitantly. She pulled away from him and looked into his eyes, drowning in their sadness.

“That’s new too,” he concluded, hitting his head against the wall.

“Rumple, please, I really am here…please, let’s just go,” she pleaded, trying to pull him up but he wouldn’t budge.

“That’s not possible. This is just a trick. Go away.” he said roughly.

“It’s not! Henry summoned Charon with his blood…that’s how I got here, Rumple. Then Cerberus took me to meet Hades and he let me see you. I really am here,” she was desperate to convince him, to let him see that she was real, and that she was here for him.

He looked up at her, searching her for any signs of deception but there was none. He inched away from her as if he had been scalded. She quickly jumped to her feet, giving him space. Maybe she had been too fast with him, he did not have time to process everything.

“Belle, is it really you?” he asked in a hushed tone, slowly getting to his feet. He slumped back and cried out. Belle rushed to his aid and felt his hand grab hers, he brought it up to his lips.

“Are you okay? Please, tell me what’s wrong-” 

“-You’re here. You’re really here,” he mumbled, kissing her hand again.

“Yes, yes,” she laughed, as she took her hand away from his to brush strands of hair that had fallen on his face. 

“You’re pregnant! How-?” he asked incredulously.

“The last time we, uh, were together…we didn’t use…” she let her words die out. She was blushing furiously now.

“Oh,” was all he said.

“We can talk about that later. I have to get you out of here first,” she quickly changed the subject, standing up. She moved to the door and peered out, checking if the coast was clear. There was no one else there.

“Come on! Everyone must be busy with the party, maybe they won’t notice us slip out…I might be able to find a way out-”

She stopped talking when she realized Rumple was not listening. She turned to him and saw he was back on the floor, his knees up to his chest. His eyes were glistening and he had that look on his face that she knew only too well; regret. 

“What’s wrong?”

He wouldn’t even look at her. 

“I’m so sorry, Belle,” he looked so ashamed of himself, holding a hand up when she started towards him, asking her to stop. 

“What are you talking about? Let’s just get out of here,” she laughed him off, reaching to tug his sleeve so he would get up but he shook his head firmly. He threw his hands up dramatically before resting them over his head.

“I lied to you. I can’t leave…I deserve this…we all do…”

What lie? Who was ‘we’?

He removed something from inside his jacket and pushed it towards her. She knew what it was, she just didn’t know what it was doing here with him. As clever as she was, Belle could not solve this problem. She couldn’t think.

“Why do you have it?” she asked shakily. She took a step back.

He could not bring himself to answer her. He turned away in shame, once more hiding his face behind his hands. What was the matter with him-

“The dagger…it’s got my name on it. Or had,” he spoke with his face still buried from her view.

“I know. You were the Dark One before Emma-”

“-no, Belle. I mean after Emma.”

She stood there, the shock that overcame was heavy on her. 

She bent down to pick up the fallen dagger, and saw that it was empty now. There was no name on it, there was nothing on it save for the markings.

“Explain.”

She had not intended to sound so cruel. He winced when she said it.

“What’s the use? You never should have come, Belle.”

Oh, she was furious now. How dare he, after everything she’d gone through, wish she had not come for him.

“I don’t believe this! I risk my life for you and you can’t even tell me why you won’t come home with me?!”

“I didn’t ask you to come, Belle!” he yelled back.

“You sent me that message, on your phone from here…what the hell was I supposed to think? Everyone said that you were dead,” she choked a little, maintaining her composure. She could not break, she would not break, not now.

“Message? You got it?” he asked, surprise washing over his face.

“Of course I did! How was I supposed to move on when I did not know what had happened to you? Was I supposed to j-just forget about you-?”

“Yes, that was all you had to do, Belle. And you’re pregnant…how could you even think of bringing the baby here with you? Did you not realize you were walking into Hell? And for me, of all people?”

She fell silent, she was hurt beyond measure. Did he really believe he was that worthless? She knew he loathed himself but did not know to what degree, not until now at least.

“Why, Belle? Why do all that?” his voice had dropped now.

“B-because I was afraid.”

She had promised herself to be strong but it was too much. Her whole body was shaking, she wasn’t sure if it was from anger or it was her trying to hold in her sobs. She heard a noise, she saw Rumplestiltskin struggling to stand.

He limped towards her, with difficulty, almost tripping over his own feet. He was only an inch away from her and she could not stop herself from taking shallow breaths. He was much too close to her, she couldn’t think properly, not when he was looking at her like that.  
“What were you so afraid of?” he breathed.

“I didn’t know how I could raise this child alone,” her lip quivered, “I was scared that I wouldn’t be good enough for it. I needed you and you weren’t there.”

His hands moved to her arms as he held her there, firmly. Her head moved to his chest, her tears staining his torn, bloodstained jacket.

“You weren’t there,” she sobbed into him.

It didn’t matter that she was mad at him, and he her. He was here now, she did not have to brave anymore. She wrapped her arms around him, trying to push herself as close as she could to him.

“I know, I know. I’m sorry…I’m so sorry, Belle.”

That was all he had to say and Belle couldn’t blame him. What else was there he could say?

They were there for a long time, neither were willing to let go of the other. A loud hiss from the cell opposite them startled them both, and the two quickly stepped back.

“What happened...to you?” she asked, hoping he was ready to tell her the truth.

He motioned for her to sit, using his good leg to kick away shards of rocks and glass on the ground, making sure it was clear first. She indulged him of his offer and waited patiently for him. 

“That night, when I’d asked you to leave, you didn’t know then but I had been marked-we all were. I thought…I’d never see you again and I was all ready to die until Emma came to me with a request,” he began, glancing up to her.

“She wanted the Excalibur, she planned to use it on herself-take out all of the evil and destroy it. I tampered with the sword, Belle, so that the darkness would be placed inside the dagger. Inside me. I didn’t know she would stab Hook with it, I didn’t expect that…that had never been my intention, you have to believe me. After that, I was the Dark One again. It seemed necessary at the time but the minute you walked through my doors, I regretted it instantly,” Rumple said, licking his lips nervously.

Belle shuddered. That day, he had been trying to tell her something but she had waved it off. She had been too distracted, too worried that she had almost lost him to death to notice that there was something wrong, and it came to her attention now what she had missed all those months ago. Magic. It had been present on their fateful reunion and he had tried to tell her, tried to be honest but she hadn’t given him a chance.

“I was too weak, I gave in to it. I was going to tell you when you woke, Belle, but Emma had found out first. She, uh, threatened to tell you if I did not agree to help her find Hook.”

Of course she had. Why else would he have willingly left her side to save that pirate? The puzzle was almost solved, only a few pieces were left.

“Why couldn’t you have just told me then? If you really wanted to?” she challenged him but it seemed he had an answer for everything.

“Another idea then came into my mind, one that involved you never finding out what I’d done. That was the real reason I came here in the first place, Belle. I came here to destroy the dagger and all the darkness in it, and in a way, I succeeded,” he continued, laughing sarcastically.

So he’d thought he could have hid that secret from her. He hadn’t changed much then, but then again he had never been capable of change. Once a dark wizard, always a dark wizard, she supposed.

“So how did you end up here while Emma, Regina and the others arrived back in Storybrooke? Did you really sacrifice yourself for Henry?”

“Ah, I see the Charmings’ wasted no time in spreading the news of my bravery, then?” he said nastily. She nodded her head. He coughed rather violently, spitting out blood from his mouth. 

"Did they hand out a medal for my sacrifice? Or did they build a statue of me in the middle of the town to commemorate me as a hero?"

Belle pursed her lips, disapproving his sense of humor at a moment like this. Though, the corner of her mouth twitched a little bit.

"Rumplestiltskin," she warned. 

“We were almost out, Belle. At the time, I still hadn’t found a way to remove the darkness from me and we still hadn’t found Hook yet. We had almost given up but then we heard it…”


	15. Chapter 15

It was a rather sunny day in Storybrooke. Well, the Storybrooke that was in Hell, anyways. Rather enjoying his little joke, Rumplestiltskin strode through the town, gazing at the town library, counting down the hours until they would be back home. He could not wait to go back to his shop and the thought of seeing the tiny librarian again made his heart squirm a little.

The search for Emma’s one-handed lover had been unfruitful, as was his quest to take the darkness out of him. He had an idea though but thought he’d wait until Emma gave up her search for the pirate first. He needed to make sure that none of them would try to foil his plan this time.

“We’re going round in circles!” Regina exclaimed.

Rumplestiltskin could not stop the smirk that spread across his face, it satisfied him to no end to see Regina like this. He’d gone through this before, he had been in the Underworld before for a couple of months before his son had resurrected him, and so was used to its tricks. It was strangely like a curse in a way, no matter how far you try to go, the town would always come back to you, or you to it; there was no way of knowing how it worked. Regina made an ill gesture toward him, one he accepted with a light chuckle. He always did enjoy annoying her, mostly because of her priceless reactions.

“He’s not here, Emma. We’ve looked everywhere,” Snow spoke, her hands intertwined with her husband’s. Rumplestiltskin turned his attention to Emma, all eyes were on her now, waiting to see if she would agree. Her silence meant the opposite, she was not done yet.

He looked up at the sky, it was still bright but time here passed quickly and it would be getting dark soon.

“Miss Swan, you heard what Cora said. The spell she cast on the souls will begin to weaken and when it breaks, they’ll come for us. They’re already angry that we’re trespassing on their grounds, imagine how they’ll feel when they find out we trapped them in their own home. You have to decide. Decide now,” he said and though the others hated him for it, they knew he was right.

“I can’t leave now…not when he might be out here somewhere,” Emma’s voice was quiet, as if she was speaking more to herself than to the rest of them. Rumplestiltskin understood her, he had been through this before, with Bae. He had ripped apart all of space and time to get to his son and Emma Swan would do the same…they were, after all, two peas in a pod.

She had sacrificed her life and soul to protect her loved ones, just like he had all those years ago, though hers in his opinion was far more noble than hers. He had given in to the voices, he had killed people, taken away their life as if it meant nothing to him. He did not regret it, for what use was regret when they were gone? It could not bring them back but he could hate himself. Oh, the hate he felt for himself only grew, until he’d met the little ray of light that had taken over him, in a slow and delicate way.

His Belle. The days she spent with him was what had fueled his hope, his dreams, that maybe he could change for the better but those plans crumbled to dust when she’d left her side. He had removed her from him, cast her out to the wolves, stood there watching as the darkness devoured him whole until there was no light left inside of him. Love was a sickness, he had thought. A disease that did not have a cure. Not for him, at least. Regina’s curse that had sent them here was a blessing in a way, it had been his chance to start his life over with her but he had failed at that too. 

He had failed his son, losing him to death. And he had failed his marriage, losing her to his lies and deceit. Even now, she was oblivious to the fact that he was still the same man from 300 years ago. She had always been too naïve, too trusting of the world.

This was one lie he would keep to the end of his grave. He was so sure that he would be able to destroy the darkness this time, convinced that when he returned back to the world of the living, he would be a free man again and Belle need never know of his treachery. He felt sick now, at the thought of having shared his bed with her when she did not know that he was still the Dark One. Would she have stayed if he’d told her?

“Emma, we have to go,” her father was saying.

“Mom, please, Hook isn’t here. Let’s go back…we’ll find another way to bring him back,” Henry spoke.

The boy linked his arm around his mother’s and she turned to him, defeated. She was crying and he knew it was over. The battle was lost, Emma Swan had finally given up. Frankly, he did not understand why she would risk everything she had for a man who was already dead. She loved him, yes, but why was she was willing to risk her parents’ and her son’s life for a pirate who’d tried to kill them all just weeks back?

“Come on, kid,” she roughed up his hair, smiling despite the tears. 

“Not so fast,” Rumplestiltskin yelled, blocking them from leaving. He eyed them warily, deciding if he could trust them with his plans. There was no telling what they might do to him now that their mission of recovering the pirate had failed.

“What are you doing?” Regina asked, annoyed. She had an arm around Henry, rather protectively.

“I have to do something but I…I need your help.”

This was it. There was no turning back now.

David crossed his arms, watching him suspiciously and he had every right to. 

“There is a way to get rid of this,” he spoke as he took out the dagger from inside his coat, flashing it to them. They stared at him, their mouths agape.

“How?” Emma asked. 

The others were still staring at him, they probably had not expected this. 

“You want to destroy it? Why?” David asked.

“Because I want to. Is that so hard to believe?” he muttered.

“Yes, yes it is, Gold. You tricked Emma into making you the Dark One and now you want to get rid of it. Forgive me if I say it sounds like total bulls-”

“-How?” Emma interrupted Regina, who looked rather displeased now.

“Hades.”

That was when they heard it. A loud, booming voice. 

“It appears someone has summoned me,” it came from behind them.

Rumplestiltskin was the first to whip around and saw a familiar face looking back at him. He was wearing a dark suit, his hand resting against a long cane, and a nasty smile plastered his face. To be honest, Rumplestiltskin had not actually meant to summon him but now that he was here, it would be pointless to not just ask the man himself.

“Hades,” Rumplestiltskin greeted, nodding curtly at the Lord of the Underworld. The others were looking at the two of them, dumbstruck.

“Gold, you know him?” Regina’s voice sounded almost squeaky. He held in a laugh.

“Of course I do. I was here before.”

“Enough of this small talk…now, why am I here?” Hades asked, tapping his cane to the ground once. It shook lightly, adding more fear into the others. Through the corner of his eyes, Rumplestiltskin saw Charming pull his wife a step back while Emma and Regina stood in front of Henry.

Before Rumplestiltskin could speak, Emma got there first.

“Killian Jones. Do you know where he is?”

Hades nodded, grinning at the frown on Rumplestiltskin’s face, and did a wave with a flourish of his hand. A cloud of smoke appeared and when it cleared, the pirate was standing there, looking just as he did before he had died. His eyes, however, were now as black as coal, a detail that the rest of them noticed.

“What did you do to him?” Emma questioned, stepping dangerously close to the God of the Underworld. 

Rumplestiltskin knew exactly what had been done to him. 

“Not much, I’m afraid he refused when I asked him if he wanted a makeover,” Hades joked but Emma was not paying attention to him anymore. Her eyes were only for the pirate’s and she gave him a watery smile, one he did not return.

“Let him go,” she commanded Hades, and cocked his head sideways, trying to figure out if the blonde was joking. When it was evident she was not, he bared his teeth.

“I don’t know how things work out there in your world but here, dead is dead. And the dead belong to ME.”

“I’ll make a deal for him then.” 

Rumplestiltskin made a small sound, the others looked to him. She was mad, he concluded, Emma Swan was an utter fool if she thought she could make a deal with Hades and get away with it unscathed. He had been prepared to pay the price, mostly because he had almost nothing to lose if anything went wrong but Emma had a family. What would she do if Hades asked one of their lives in exchange for the pirate?

“You have to make it worthwhile, girl. I’ve become rather fond of my dear pirate. He's proven his usefulness behind closed doors,” Hades said, glancing at Hook in a rather fond way.

“No,” Rumplestiltskin whispered as he looked back at the stone faced pirate who stood behind Hades, looking very much dead. Rumplestiltskin recalled his time here after he had killed Pan, when he had crossed the tunnel from the entrance of the Underworld and found himself in a room that had been ablaze. The fire had scorched his skin, the smell of his burning flesh had made him sick. There had been no way out and in desperation, he had screamed out for help.

Hades had appeared at that moment, expressing his interest in him. The man had been fascinated with him, the fearsome Dark One, and had offered him a deal then and there; work for him or burn. The work Hades had in store for him was a horrible one, he had wanted him to torture souls. These souls had been condemned, fated to suffer for the rest of their lives as payment for whatever wrong thing they had done and Hades wanted Rumplestiltskin to do it. He wanted Rumplestiltskin to be the one to inflict the pain on the souls.

Torture was not something new to Rumplestiltskin, he was only too familiar with it but he refused almost immediately. He knew why Hades wanted him to do it, the men who were at this job were monsters, and while they remained safe from the fire and brimstones, they would lose their soul to their work. It was no easy thing, torturing a soul to madness, and the price for it was too much, even for Rumplestiltskin.

And so he burned in that room, screaming and yelling for it to stop but it never did. The fire ate at him, cleansing him of all his misdeeds and after a while, he became numb to the pain. He could not die, not here, because he was already dead. When the fire died out, there was nothing left of him, he was merely a speck of dust in an ashen room. Hours later, his body reformed once more and the room he was in would catch fire again and he would burn. 

Looking at Hook now, he knew the pirate had chosen to do Hades’ dirty work instead of burning. The blackened eyes, the dead look on his face gave it all away. As hard as he tried, he could not hold it against the pirate for choosing the easy way out. It was so easy to fall into Hades’ trap and he would have himself had it not been the thought of Baelfire and Belle in his mind that had kept him at bay. It was because of the two of them that he had lasted as long as he did in that room. And he would've gladly burned for another thousand years if it meant that they would be safe.

“Miss Swan, I know that he looks like the man you loved but I assure you, that isn’t him. Not anymore. Striking a deal for him, when he’s like this, it’s dangerous. You don’t want to pay the price, please, believe me,” Rumplestiltskin pleaded but it seemed she had already made up her mind.

“What about you, Gold? You were so eager to make a deal with him to save yourself…what about that price? Are you willing to pay it?” she accused him, and he could see the rage behind her eyes. Her anger only seemed to make matters worse.

“I am but you aren’t. Look at him, Miss Swan…he’s dead. Even if you somehow manage to get him back, how are you planning to take him back to Storybrooke? As soon as the damned dog at the entrance takes a whiff of his corpse, it will send him back here,” he cried out for her to see his reasons, to understand that he was only trying to help her.

“My heart. I can share it with him like my parents’ do,” she muttered, her hand going to rest on her chest.

Hades laughed loudly, as though they had just said something funny.

“Oh my dear girl, that sort of trick does not apply here I’m afraid,” he said, wiping away at his eyes, still holding back his laughter.

“Emma, let’s think this through,” Regina begged. The sky was getting dark, the sun that had been out was now engulfed by the thick clouds. Time was not something they had control of any longer. Soon, the souls would be released and there was no telling if any of them would survive their vicious attacks.

“I‘ve come too far for this and I can‘t turn back now. Give me Killian Jones and I’ll give you anything you want.”

The moment those words escaped her lips, Rumplestiltskin knew everything was over. Behind him, Snow and Charming held on to each other and for a fleeting second he wished Belle was here with her, telling him that everything was going to alright. Hades grinned menacingly as he snapped his fingers. 

Hook blinked once.

“My price for the pirate,” Hades mentioned, “is him.”

There was a zap as Hook vanished. He reappeared a moment later, his hook glinting in the light as he brought it down. There was a horrible ripping noise-and a scream; it was enough to turn Rumplestiltskin’s blood cold. He looked around, everything seemed to be moving in slow motion.

Regina was still screaming, the Charmings’ were pale as sheet and Emma- she was just standing there, wide eyed. He turned to where she was looking and the first thing he saw was Henry’s feet in the air. He remembered thinking how odd it was.

His eyes shifted upwards and focused on the boy’s face. 

He felt his heart stop-

Hook was standing so close to his grandson and it was only when the pirate pulled the hook out of the boy’s chest when reality gripped at him. Rumplestiltskin had yet to use magic here, had refused to use it, but seeing the blood stain his grandson’s clothes had changed his mind. He disappeared behind smoke and appeared just in time for him to catch Henry and stumbled, the two of them crashing to the floor. Regina was also there, he did not know who was pulling at him, asking him to move, nothing was making any sense. Regina was shaking her son, weeping by his feet but it was not enough to wake the boy. He was unconscious or worse, he was already dead.

He backed away as Snow and Charming joined the circle, crying out for their grandson. He got back to his feet and began to walk away, his mind spinning. Emma Swan was pushing Hook away from where he stood, making her way to where her son lay, still and lifeless.

Rumplestiltskin let out a loud sigh, his hands were stained with Henry’s blood and it frightened him beyond anything else. This was not how it was supposed to go, no one was supposed to get hurt. Trembling, he tried to wipe the stain on the back of his trousers.

“Hades! Make another deal with me-please!”

Hades was watching the whole thing, fascinated by the turn of events. 

Rumplestiltskin turned sharply to Emma, a curse escaping his lips. She had just lost her son and she was going to make another deal with the devil? He could taste bile in his mouth and thought he would throw up right then.

“Terribly sorry to say that I’m quite done today,” Hades muttered in a bored manner as a single orb appeared above him. He captured it in his hands, turning it over a few times, making a satisfied noise.

“What a lovely soul the boy has!” he added, knowing full well it would only hurt them further.

“Please! This wasn’t what I-”

“ARE YOU ACCUSING ME OF CHEATING, GIRL? YOU SAID YOU WOULD GIVE ANYTHING IN RETURN FOR THE PIRATE AND I ACCEPTED. SO I ASK YOU AGAIN, ARE YOU SAYING THAT I CHEATED YOU ON OUR DEAL?”

There was no more smiles, no more laughter from Hades. In just a minute, he had transformed into the God that he was, the power that he had now could destroy them all. 

“No,” Emma’s voice was low.

“P-please…you can’t take my son…I can’t lose him-” she continued and Rumplestiltskin watched her cradle Henry in her arms, kissing him all over his face, hoping that maybe True Love’s kiss would bring him back like it had done before but that was not how things worked here. Hades had made that very clear.

“Should have thought about that before you made the deal with me!” 

This was punishment, Rumplestiltskin thought. Hades was punishing her for being foolish enough to think she could have saved Hook, could have saved everyone. He was showing her just how weak humans were, how in just one slip of a word, he was able to conquer them.

“Take my soul instead. I’ll give you my soul in exchange for Henry’s.”

Hearing this, Snow shook her head but remained silent. Regina’s head was drooped, her hands running over Henry’s chest, whispering something into the boy’s ear. David moved towards his daughter but one look from Emma and he stayed. 

“And why would I want your soul? It’s tainted, dirty even, and pray tell me why I would give up a child’s innocent soul for yours?”

His words cut deep through her. He laughed again before turning to leave, every step he took further from them meant that Henry's death was becoming more permanent. Rumplestiltskin was lost; if Hades would not even take the Savior’s soul, why would he even bother with his soul? They had failed.

“What if I could give you a hundred souls in return? Would that equal to my son’s?”

That had gotten his attention. He stopped, his back still to all of them but from the way he spoke, it was obvious he was thinking it over.

“Where would you get that?” he asked, though he already knew.

There was a silence in the air. And there was a laugh, it sounded cold and forced. Rumplestiltskin did not realize that it came from him. 

“Is this what it’s come to, Miss Swan?” he asked rather aggressively. 

But she did not look at him.

“What do you say? Is that a yes?” she asked Hades.

“I suppose it…could…work,” he murmured, turning back to them. 

“And in exchange, I want you to give both Hook and Henry’s soul back,” she added.

“Before you jump into another deal, girl, he has to agree to it first.”

Now, the two of them turned to him for an answer.

Rumplestiltskin looked around at all of them, wondering if they would intervene at any moment but they never did. They were all looking down at their feet and the only sound that could be heard was Regina weeping over Henry's form.

“No one objects to this?” he asked, his voice was hoarse. Their silence was enough an answer for him. He always knew they hated him, but he did not think that they loathed him to the point that they were willing to sacrifice his life for another. He’d always thought of them as a family, an estranged one but a family all the same. But now, all he saw were selfish cowards who couldn't even look him in the eye.

They called themselves heroes but the only saving they did was when their own was in danger. They did not care about him, they did not care about anyone else, he could see that now. He thought of Belle, would she have objected to this? Or would she have remained silent like the rest of them? He liked to think that she would have given them a mouthful, asking them how they were so willing to have him give up his own soul. But she wasn’t here, and she would never know what happened to him.

“Fine. I’ll do it.”

Their heads snapped up, and suddenly they were looking at him like he was some kind of knight, come to save them from this tragedy. He felt disgusted even looking at them. His eyes lingered on Emma’s and there was an apologetic look on her face but he brushed it away. He strode to where she and Hades stood, his head held high.

“You can have all the souls you want but you give Henry his soul back in exchange for mine. Do you accept?”

Hades nodded once.

“Gol-Rumplestiltskin, I’m sorry I-”

“-save it,” he growled and she seemed to grow smaller. Good, he thought, he wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of forgiving her. 

“We’ll tell Belle what you did for us. We’ll tell everyone about your sacrifice,” Snow started but he laughed again, this time it sounded cruel.

“Oh but this isn’t sacrifice, Snow White,” he said and she flinched, “this is murder.”

Emma was about to say something but she stopped.

“What are you waiting for?” Rumplestiltskin snapped at Hades. The God nodded gleefully as a thunder rumbled in the sky, and patters of rain began to fall. Hades motioned for him to step forward.

"Don't you want us to say goodbye to Belle for you?" Regina finally spoke.

He did not answer her.

There was a stroke of lightning, it struck him where he stood. He could feel jolts of electricity running through his body and when he looked up, he could see rays of light coming out of his chest. He began to feel lighter and lighter. He was being lifted up and when he glanced down, he could see his body lying on the ground. It ached him to see his own lifeless body in the middle of the street, there was no one there to mourn for him. Belle would never know-

He was in a tunnel. It resembled the one they had walked through after the entrance but this was darker, much colder. He walked, or rather floated, through it and he could see hundreds of other souls there. They were all screaming, moaning and moping-where was he-?

“Grandpa!”

The faces were moving past him in speed, and he struggled to see where the familiar voice had come from. His eyes came to rest on Henry’s face and he smiled.

“What’s happening? Where are we going?” he asked, his hand reaching to hold his grandfather's but it passed through him like it was nothing. Rumplestiltskin smiled again.

“You’re going home, Henry,” he said.

“Aren’t you coming?” his voice sounded so hopeful he could not bear to break the child’s heart.

“You go on first, Henry. I’ll be right there with you.” he lied.

Henry waved at him and all Rumplestiltskin saw was Baelfire staring back at him. He muffled the sounds of his cries with the back of his sleeve. He watched as Henry’s distorted form vanished through the other side. He looked down to his own hand to see he was fading away.

The next thing he knew he was lying down in a strange place, his back against a pillar of some sort. Everything was dark and he felt a burning sensation in his chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the secret is finally out and we know what exactly went down in the Underworld right before Emma and the others made it back to town. Thank you for all the comments and I hope you enjoy the rest of the upcoming chapters :) *also, would you guys be interested in reading about what is currently happening in storybrooke or do you just want to know what happens with rumple and belle in the Underworld?


	16. Chapter 16

To say that Storybrooke was in an uproar would be an understatement. A resident had been reported missing, and a town favorite one at that. Belle French, according to the dwarves, had mysteriously vanished without a trace. Some eyewitnesses claim that they had seen her car whir past their houses in the dead of night but they were unsure if it actually was her in the Cadillac.

Everyone was in a frantic, posters had been posted all over town and all day and night the sheriff’s station was packed with people who wanted to know what had happened to Belle. She’d been gone for only a day or two and already there were rumors being spread about it, some claimed she had left town while others swore she’d been kidnapped by some baby-eating demon that surely resided in the room below the library.

Emma Swan flung her car keys onto the table in the sheriff’s office and sat down with an exhausted sigh, taking a sip of the coffee she had so hardly procured. She could not even stand in the line at Granny’s diner without the customers bombarding her about Belle French’s case and if she was anywhere close to solving it.

“I take it you’ve had a hard day,” Regina was standing at the door, having come in without knocking and startling Emma so much that half of the coffee ended up staining her clothes. The blonde swore as she tore through the drawers, yelling about never having enough wipes in the office. Regina arched an eyebrow and waved her hand, the stain was magically removed in a flash. Emma sighed again, mouthing a thanks to the other woman.

“Remind me again why I decided to take this job up?” Emma asked as she threw the rest of the coffee into the bin. Regina sat opposite her and crossed her legs, looking rather serious now.

“Because, Miss Swan, becoming the sheriff again is the only way you can earn back this town’s trust. We all know how terrified they were-are-of you still,” she rolled her eyes. Despite having proven that she no longer was the Dark One anymore, Emma still needed to win the townsfolk back and this had been the only solution they could come up with.

“They won’t stop asking me about Belle. What the hell am I supposed to tell them, Regina? That she went to the Underworld to try and bring back Rumplestiltskin?” Emma scoffed.

Regina was deep in thought. She had always thought Belle was a bit hard-headed, and though she was one of the cleverest people she’d ever met, the woman often did things without thinking them through. But then again, Regina was also the same so there wasn’t much to be said about the subject. 

“Why don’t you tell them that’s what happened, then?”

“Because, Regina, they’d all want to go there after her! I can’t let them risk their lives-”

Regina snickered, and Emma raised her head questioningly. 

“Is something funny?”

“It’s just…you were willing to risk Rumplestiltskin’s life for Henry’s but the rest of the town can’t to save Belle’s? Sounds a little hypocritical coming from the Savior.”

Emma scowled at Regina, hating her for bringing up the whole Underworld issue. She thought they’d all give it a rest already. She knew that everything that had happened down there was her fault and that her decisions had directly affected Gold’s and now, Belle’s. If anything happened to her, Belle’s blood would be on Emma’s hands. But she was so tired, it had been the right thing to do at the time but now that she thought about it, she regretted everything she'd done. But it was too late now, there wasn't anything she could do.

“I’m not the Savior anymore so stop calling me that.”

“Emma, you don’t think we should do something to help Belle?” Regina was shocked. This was not the Emma Swan she had grown familiar to, no, this was someone else living in her body. Having had a taste of the darkness, Emma could no longer tell the difference between right and wrong, or good from bad. She made calls that weren’t hers to make and saving people was no longer a priority for her. In a way, she was exactly like Rumplestiltskin, perhaps even more dangerous than him. 

“How are we going to do that? Look, I want to help her, I do, but if she went back there to save Gold, they’re both doomed and we know it. She has to offer a soul in exchange for his and I don’t see that happening, Regina. And besides, Henry’s getting more ill each day…I’ve got to think about keeping him safe too!”

“You and I both know that Henry isn’t really ill, I think its high time we acknowledged that, Emma,” Regina pointed out and Emma looked away, shame marking her face.

He was not getting sick. In fact, he was actually getting better. And the more better he got, the closer they were to being thrown out by him.

It seemed like only hours ago they’d been in the same town, except it was in another world. The rain had cleared, it had only lasted for minutes before the sky cleared again. Emma still stood opposite Hades, her parents and Regina were silent behind her. Two bodies were lying on the ground; Gold’s broken body lay in a mangled heap, far from anybody’s reach, while Henry was on Regina’s lap, her hands smoothing out the creases on his jacket.

There was a lightning and Hook fell to the ground with an agonizing scream.

“What’s happening to him-?” Emma cried out, almost grabbing Hades by his collar in a moment of shock. Hades lifted a finger to his lips, motioning for her to simply watch what would happen.

The lightning struck twice this time and then-

“I can hear his heartbeat! He’s alive, Henry’s alive!” Regina’s face was overjoyed as she began to shake the boy, whispering him to wake up. Robin gripped her firmly, and offered her a small smile.

“Will he remember everything that happened?” Snow asked and Emma felt breathless. If he knew what she had done, how she had been responsible in a way for his grandfather’s death, he would never forgive her again. She had already been held accountable for the fact that she had ripped his friend’s heart out, and not to mention the fact that she had forced the same girl to break Henry's heart. The death of his grandfather would be news he would not take well. She had to do something.

Hades nodded once.

“Make him forget, please,” Emma’s voice was almost child-like.

“Emma, what the hell do you think you’re doing?” Regina’s face had darkened.

“Think about it, Regina! Do you think he’ll just accept what we did to Gold? He won’t ever talk to us again-he’ll never forgive us!”

Regina faltered, Emma’s words digging into her like a thousand knives. She had been through that before, the feeling of being hated by the only person she ever loved, it was one Regina did not want to repeat. So, she stood there quietly, waiting for Emma to decide the next course of action.

“Can you do it?”

“But of course,” Hades said, looking rather offended that she would even ask such a question.

“And the price?”

Hades sneered and Emma had to restrain herself from punching him in the face.

“No need for that. I’m quite pleased with the last deal we made and so, this one’s on the house! When your boy wakes up again, he won’t remember what happened.”

Emma wished now that she had asked him if the spell he cast on Henry would be permanent. That would have given her enough time to plan on how she would explain the truth to him, before he recovered his memories. But instead, she shook hands with the devil, never realizing that all magic would carry a price. 

There were tiny lights that began to dance around the boy’s pale features and one by one they were absorbed into his skin. Regina lifted his shirt to see that the wound Hook had inflicted on her son was no longer there, the blood that had been gushing out of him no longer existed, it was as if nothing had happened. 

Henry woke with a start, looking around at all of them. 

“What’s going on?” he asked groggily, coming to stand on his feet. Regina reached up to hold him in place and he shot her a grateful look. Snow and Charming did the best they could do maintain a neutral expression, careful as to not give away anything to their grandson who had just come back from the dead.  
Hades, by that time, was already gone. Henry spotted his grandfather on the ground and rushed to his aid. When he pushed off the hair from the older man’s face, he cried out, falling flat on his back. The others rushed to him in panic.

Emma was the first to reach her son. As she approached Gold’s body, she saw that his eyes were wide open and his hand was tightened around his wedding finger.

“We have to go. Remember what Cora said about the souls,” David was trembling like a leaf next to his wife. They did not know how to react to any of this, this wasn’t something they’d been prepared for.

“What about Grandpa Gold? We have to help him-”

“He’s gone, kid.”

“W-what? What happened to him?” it was evident that Hades’ spell had worked; Henry had no recollection of what happened.

“He sacrificed himself for you, for all of us, Henry…look-we have to go! Now!” Robin shouted, pointing to the clock tower. They could see the hazy forms of the souls, they were finally free.

Regina stooped down to where Rumplestiltskin lay and gently closed his eyes, giving him a small peck on his forehead. She was shocked to see how cold his corpse was. She felt a trail of tears leave her face as she straightened his crooked form, making sure he looked absolutely perfect in death. She sighed.

“I’m sorry.”

He was her oldest friend. Or had been. He had always thought of her as a pawn in his chess piece, but they had come a long way and she had almost always taken him for a father figure in her life. She knew that beneath all the little taunts and mockery Rumplestiltskin threw her way, the little man actually cared for her and she did too. To see his lifeless body brought back the painful memories of watching him kill Pan and dying in the process. She would miss him terribly so.

“Regina!”

The sound had brought Regina back to reality.

“What were you saying?” she asked.

“Henry…what do we do about Henry?” Emma asked.

Regina took a deep breath before answering.

“We tell him the truth. He’s going to find out either way-its best if we tell him, Emma. I’m sick of lying to everyone, especially to our son. I don’t care if he hates us-he’ll learn to forgive us just as we’ll learn to repent from what we’ve done. So, what do you say, Emma?”

Regina looked at Emma, praying for her to do the right thing. Lying or placing another curse on Henry would not make anything better. They had to fix whatever mistake they'd made, even if it meant Henry would want nothing to do with them. He could hate them for a lifetime and Regina could bear it, she would put his happiness above her own because that was what mothers did.

“We tell him the truth.”


	17. Chapter 17

Belle was unnaturally quiet, the truth that she had so desperately wanted to uncover finally revealed at last. She had been searching for this but now that she had finally found it, she wished she could take it back. She had always suspected that the Charmings’ had been withholding information from her about Rumple’s supposed death but never expected a secret as dreadful as this.

She could not believe that Emma was coldhearted as that to just offer Rumplestiltskin up like he meant nothing to them. He had caused them trouble, given them all hell, but he had also helped them whenever they had come to him. Surely that had to count for something? She did not think that Emma would ever be capable of something like that and the rest of them, who dubbed themselves as heroes, had just stood by in silence.

She glanced to Rumple who was diffident, he was unable to look at her. How could he have agreed to the deal, though? How could he have just given up his life like that, did he not know that he would never see her again? Did he not care about himself, or her for that matter?

He just had to be a hero, didn't he, taking up the offer Hades made without thinking about the consequences that would befall him. It was tragic, but Henry’s death was because of Emma’s carelessness, she had bargained with Hades when Rumple had clearly expressed that she would be walking into a trap. It was not fair that Rumple had to be the one to sacrifice himself for a mistake that Henry’s mother was responsible for.

‘Why?’ she had asked him with a bated breath.

‘Henry was the last reminder I had of Baelfire, Belle. How could I just let him die?’ he had replied.

Even if it meant you would never see him again, Belle wanted to ask but she knew what he would say. He would’ve told her that it was worth it, that that was the right thing to do. She wanted to scream at this man, but more than that, she wanted to pull him into her arms and weep for him. This man, who stayed behind in Hell to save his grandson, and yet there were still people in the world who hated him and called him a coward.

She did not care that he lied to her, that he had chosen the darkness even after everything it had put him through. She could not blame him, the darkness was the only thing that had stuck by him while everyone he ever loved had left him, so why wouldn’t he choose it? Being the Dark one, to him, was the only thing he was good at. He had played hero for a while but even she had to admit, Rumple had gotten nothing out of being good. She remembered how he had told her they could start over now that he had a pure heart and she had turned him away, telling him that she wasn’t sure if she wanted them to work.

And the moment the dagger became his again, she had come running back into his arms, and confessed that all she had ever wanted was him. She wanted to laugh at herself, for being so foolish, for getting tangled up in this mess. She was angry but she also understood him, she wanted to forgive him but she also needed time to heal from his deeds. And she knew very well she could not do anything yet, not while they were both stuck in this dingy, old cell.

“Come on,” she finally said, slowly getting to her feet. 

His eyes flickered over to her, his face surprised.

“Belle?” he asked. He looked so small now, had he always been this tiny?

“You don’t think I'm just going to leave you here, do you?” she called out to him and when he shook his head, she rolled her eyes and went to him. She held her hand out and he looked up at her again, unsure.

“You still want to help me? After everything I've just told you? I lied to you, Belle. Again.”

She wished he wouldn’t keep bringing it up. 

“So what? I came all the way here for you and I'm not going to abandon you now, Rumplestiltskin,” Belle chided him.

“You…you’re not mad?”

“I-I’m just tired, Rumple. I’m tired of being lied to by everyone, especially you. I’m so used to being in the dark and now, I just-I don’t know-I just want to get back home so I can decide what I want to do. Please, Rumple, let’s go.”

Her hand was still extended to him, and slowly Rumple reached out to take it. She did not need much strength to lift him up, he was so very light. The poor man must have gone months without eating, he had never been the one to eat even when he had been the Dark One, but to see him so thin and weak brought out motherly instincts in her she didn't know she had. Belle promised herself that if they somehow made it out the Underworld alive, the first thing she would do when they were back in Storybrooke was to stuff him with food until he passed out.

“Are you limping-I mean…the leg…is it the old injury or-?”

“No,” he shook his head as she wrapped her arm around his back to support him, “the souls…they, uh, they did that.”

“These souls, do they…does this happen everyday?” Belle asked as the two of them began to slow walk towards the exit where she had entered from earlier. She had to keep him busy with the questions so that he could focus on the answers instead of the pain from the injuries he sustained.

There was a weak nod from him.

“Are they all people you’ve hurt from...before?”

He groaned and Belle thought he was annoyed at her but at closer inspection, she realized he was not wearing any shoes, his socks were so thin that the rocky ground was biting into them, making his feet bleed with every step they took. Belle looked down at her own shoes, the words slipping out of her mouth before she could stop herself.

“Rumple, you can wear my shoes if you want,” she offered.

He glanced down at her feet, and noticing the high heels, his face turned red. Belle looked at him, wondering if he might actually say yes. He burst into laughter, crying out in pain when he laughed too hard and hurt his ribs she presumed were probably broken. Belle could not stop the laugh that erupted from her belly, the two of them cackling away in the dark cell block. She felt silly but remembered that it had been six months since she had genuinely laughed with him like this. All she could think of were the tearful glances she had shared with him, a moment like this hardly came by and she decided to have the best of it, chortling away, wishing it would last forever.

“It’s alright, Belle. I’ve been through worse before,” he said as soon as the laughter died down.

“I’m sorry,” she said, giving him a shrug and he smiled.

They continued the walk and she watched him through the corner of her eyes, but he did not show any form of pain. She supposed that he was simply holding it back, probably so that she would not see and feel bad about it.

“They’re not all people I’ve wronged,” he said suddenly and Belle thought it would be best if she did not intervene.

“Some of them were victims of the previous Dark Ones, you see. Now that the Dark Ones no longer exist, the only way they think they can avenge their deaths is by attacking the last Dark One they know, in which case, is me.”

“But that’s not fair!” Belle yelled and Rumple chuckled.

“Ah, but that is life, I suppose,” he said dramatically, winking at her when she sighed.

Now that they were approaching the exit, they were finally able to actually see where they were going. Streams of light came pouring out of the holes and cracks above their heads and Belle could finally see Rumplestiltskin properly. She decided that it was better to have not seen him at all this way. His back was hunched over, his coat was caked with dirt and blood and worst of all was the damage that had been done to his face. She was not sure how he would ever heal from this, it seemed almost impossible to repair. 

There was a long scar that jutted down from his forehead to his left cheek. The bruises she had seen earlier now looked more gruesome in the light. He barely resembled himself, and if it was someone else, she was sure they would not recognize him. And yet, she still found it hard to breathe whenever she looked at him, and just the feeling of his arm draped around her made her blush. Even with the scars framing his face, she still thought he looked beautiful.

They arrived at the door, Belle took a deep breath before she touched the wooden frame and gently pushed at it. It swung open easily and they passed through, shocked that no one had apprehended them yet.

“Halt!”

Belle had a sinking feeling in her chest when the two of them turned around. The creature Belle had met with earlier once again popped out of nowhere, carrying a large frown on its face. Rumple stood in front of her protectively and Belle could not help muttering internally to how ridiculous he was behaving. It was he who needed protecting, and not the other way round but he couldn’t help it, she supposed.

“It’s just me,” she replied meekly.

The creature peered at her and then squealed when it seemed to recognize her.

“Why are you bringing the prisoner out with you?” it asked as it passed a glare to Rumplestiltskin who only returned it an equally nasty look. Belle shot him down with a warning glare, and he assumed a forced smile.

“I’m taking him to meet with Hades. You can check with him if you'd like but I wouldn’t, if I were you…” she lied and Rumplestiltskin eyed her. She just nodded her head, asking him to play along.

“Is that so? And why wouldn’t I want to check with him?” it asked.

“Because Hades is quite busy, what with his wife's arrival among other things. Imagine what he’ll do to you if you interrupt him-I heard he has a special room saved for people who waste his time with nonsense about prisoners trying to escape...” Belle lied, hoping that the creature would fall for it.

The plan worked, the creature squeaked as it pushed the two of them towards the corridor she had crossed with Cerberus before. When she glanced behind her, the creature had once again camouflaged itself into the darkness. It wasn’t until they were at the end of the corridor when Rumplestiltskin spoke.

“You’ve become quite the liar, haven’t you?” he said, grinning.

“Well, I learn from the best,” she said, tossing him a playful smile and he returned it with an offended look. She giggled lightly.

“Belle, if you don’t mind me asking, how did you enter the Underworld?” Rumple asked after some time.

“Oh, through the front gates,” she replied but then realized that it wasn’t enough an explanation for him.

“Charon…he took my heart out and used some kind of magic to shrink it so that Cerberus wouldn’t know I was still alive,” she explained. 

“And what did he ask for in return?” Rumple had an odd look across his face.

“Nothing, really…but he did make a rude comment about me having a smart mouth or something-” she said, frowning now. Rumple chuckled as he mumbled something about the ferryman getting at least something right.

“So there was no price or anything?” he asked again.

Belle just shook her head.

“Wait a minute-isn’t that how you all got into the Underworld?”

Belle watched as Rumple cast her his famous ‘are you joking’ look. That meant no, then.

“So how’d you get in?” she asked. Was there more than one way to get into the Underworld? If there was, surely there would be other ways to leave...

“I, uh, tricked the dog-”

“-Cerberus?”

“-yeah…I tricked it, saying that Hades was expecting to see me, and it worked. Who’d have known that for someone so mighty and powerful like Hades, he would get a rather daft dog to guard the entrance to the Underworld. It’s no wonder souls get in with ease around here,” he said and his insult directed to Cerberus made her feel a little cross with him.

“Don’t be mean, Rumple. Cerberus is the only reason I got this far, in fact, you should be thanking him for everything he's done, you know..."

Rumple looked shocked at this.

“The dog…helped you?” he asked.

“Yes, he’s the one who took me to meet Hades-”

“-You met Hades? In his palace?” he was looking at her in wonderment, like he was admiring her.

“Yes, why? It’s beautiful but it’s nothing special…I think our castle back home is far more interesting than his place,” she said and he laughed, nodding in agreement.

“Belle, you-you must be the first living person to have actually set foot in there! Oh Gods, I love you, you know that?”

Belle knew he had only meant it as a praise but hearing him declare his love for her made her cheeks burn. He noticed her reaction and coughed awkwardly, regretting his choice of words instantly. 

“Who goes there?”

It was a woman’s voice. Belle glanced around, hoping to find anything she could use as a weapon and settled on a rather large rock by the corner. She lifted it up to her chest with difficulty, and the rock grazed her belly lightly. Rumple made a move, his hands in the air, as though he was going to touch her stomach but then dropped them to his sides quickly.

They waited in silence, hoping whoever it was would go away. Belle felt her arm go numb, her grip on the rock slackened. They could hear footsteps now, it was getting nearer each second-

“Belle?” the woman asked and Belle stared at her.

“I’m sorry-do I know you?”

The woman grinned, the smile turning into a cold stare when her eyes turned to Rumple. She growled.

“Cerberus?” Belle questioned and the woman bowed, the same way Cerberus had before.

“Different head,” she replied and Belle let out a breath of relief. She threw the large rock down at her feet, her hands sore from holding it for too long.

“W-what’s going on?”

The two women were now looking at Rumplestiltskin, who looked very much like a child who had just lost his mother in that moment. 

“The fool didn’t remove the curse yet, then?” Belle continued, ignoring Rumple. He could wait, she wanted to catch up with Cerberus, excited at seeing him-no-her despite only having parted with her (him?) for an hour or so. She did not know how much time had passed exactly, it was hard to tell.

“No, though you might want to watch yourself, Belle. I am rather protective of my Master and besides, it’s the other head that favors you. I have yet to achieve the same feelings for you as the other one has,” Cerberus answered and there was a dangerous glint in her eyes when she said it.

Belle made a mental note to be careful around this Cerberus, she was not as friendly as the other…head.

“You’re escaping with him, are you?” the woman asked.

“Yes, will you help me?”

“I suppose I could…why don’t you just come with me and I’ll show you the way out.”

Rumple made a loud, snorting noise and Belle was sure that if they were going to die, it would be because of his lack of manners.

“Belle, don’t tell me you trust her!” he cried out, grabbing her arm.

“Lead the way,” she muttered to Cerberus who nodded curtly, walking ahead of them but Belle was pretty sure she would be tuning in to the conversation Rumple was about to have with her.

“What if she leads us straight to Hades?” he hissed.

“I’m hoping she does.”

He fell quiet next to her. Belle knew he had not meant any harm, that he was just worried for her safety. It had always been in his nature to be suspicious of everyone but Belle knew precisely who she was dealing with. She had a plan in mind and she hoped that she would be right.

As much as she considered Cerberus a friend, she knew where its loyalties lay and that was with Hades. A dog, no matter how friendly it was to a stranger, would always come home to its master at the end of the day. There was no doubt in Belle’s mind that Cerberus, never mind if it was a dog or a person, would be taking them straight to Hades. 

And Belle was counting on it.


	18. Chapter 18

Hades drew a breath when he felt his skin brush against his wife’s when she reached over to pour herself another glass of wine. Persephone flashed him a smile at the contact, taking a sip of the drink with her eyes still lingering on him. It had been six months since she had been away and now that she had come back to him, Hades felt like he was alive again. He had adamant on her staying by his side always, but she had to go and see her mother, that had been the deal they had made. He could not bear to see her torn about, having to choose between him or her mother and so he had decided to let her part for half a year each year, as much as it killed him.

“So, love, how is your dear mother?” he began, plucking a fruit from the bowl and popping it into his mouth.

“She’s…fine,” Persephone mumbled quickly. She appeared to be busy all of a sudden, tipping more wine into her glass, even while it was still full. Hades knew she was trying to find another conversation piece, one that did not involve her mother but he was interested in what his mother-in-law had to say about him this time. 

“Is she still trying to curse me?” he asked, in an amusing tone.

“Yes, but enough of that, what have you been up to?”

She was rather good at changing the subject and Hades let her, she could do anything she wanted.

“The usual…nothing too important…” his voice trailed away when she leaned in close to him, her scent was blinding. He let his fingers travel down her arm, feeling the dark, smooth skin as he let out a sigh. It had been too long, indeed. She laughed and he grinned in return.

“I missed you,” she said. His hands were now at her hips, pulling her closer to him.

‘I missed you too.”

Her lips were only an inch away from his, if he only moved a little…

“Apologies, Sir-a-and uh, my Lady, these intruders-they wouldn’t listen to me-they demanded to be let in at once!”

“Seven Hells,” Hades cursed as Persephone fell back to her seat with a giggle. Her husband cast her an apologetic look as he stood up, motioning for the guard to step forward.

The guard did so, quaking in his boots.

“And did you tell them I was busy?” Hades’ voice was low, dangerous.

“I-I d-did, Sir but I-”

“Hades, it’s just me, Cerberus,” a woman yelled from outside.

“What do you want, Cerberus? I simply have no time for any more of your nonsense-”

“-it’s not nonsense. Listen, I’m with someone and she says she won’t leave until you talk to her,” she argued and Hades groaned in displeasure. Persephone shot him a curious look, she was probably wondering who was daft enough to bother him while he was at dinner.

“Send them in, then! This better be worth my time, Cerberus, or I’m extending the damned curse I’ve placed you in,” he growled. He then turned to glare at the guard.

“Well, are you going to let them in? Or do you want me to do it?” he asked sarcastically. The guard did an awkward salute before marching off towards the large, mahogany door as quickly as he could.

Hades turned to his wife.

“I do apologize dear, but it seems we must part now.”

“Oh, but dear, I’d really like to stay and watch. I must admit, I am rather eager to meet this stranger Cerberus has brought...”

She made it sound like a request but Hades knew quite well what she meant. Nothing he could say would change her mind; it was clear this had caught her interest and she would not let it go easily. He murmured something under his breath as he waited for the intruders to enter his hall. The minute his eyes pierced into the pair of ocean blue ones, he knew there was going to be some trouble. He watched as the infuriating, pregnant girl and the imp man walked to where they were seated, escorted by Cerberus, who looked rather flushed.

“You! I already gave you what you wanted! What are you still doing here?” he yelled, pointing his finger at the girl accusingly. She had given him her name earlier, hadn’t she? What was it…Blue? Billie?

“I told you…my name is Belle.”

Right. Belle. And her husband, Rumplestiltskin. They must have come here to cause him more grief and in front of his dear wife, no less. He had to find a way to get rid of them before they turned this place into a…living hell. He flinched inwardly at his feeble attempt at a joke before directing his attention to them.

“Alright, Belle,” he spat her name out menacingly, “are you going to tell me what you want this time?”

“You owe me a favor…you remember that, don’t you?”

“You owe her a favor?”

Two voices rang out at once. Rumplestiltskin and Persephone had both spoken out in shock at the same time. The girl looked like she was trying to hide a smile and it only annoyed him. Persephone was smirking at Hades, she wanted to know how a small human like Belle had persuaded him, the God of the Underworld, into owing her a favor. This girl, Belle, was bad for his reputation and he had to shake her off before she did any more damage to his name.

“Yes, she does. Out with it then, what's this favor you want?”

He knew precisely what it was for. This was not the first time he had heard about this Belle. Charon had spoken to him about her and then Cerberus, shortly after. Whoever she was, she had half of his most loyal staff in her pockets and it was all just so she could save the dead man next to her. Apparently, she had recounted her entire life to poor Charon who had to sit through the whole thing. Afterwards, the blasted ferryman almost bored Hades to death with the same story, though he had no idea why.

“I think you know.”

Well, as irritating as she was…Hades had to admit that she was a little clever.

“You know I can’t give him his soul back just because I owe you a favor. That’s not how it works in-”

“-in here, yes, I’ve heard. One life for another, right?” 

Hades wanted to swoop down and choke her...a little. Persephone was enjoying the show, casting him a smirk whenever Belle spoke out against him. Why was everyone trying to get on his bad side today?

“Right.” he muttered.

“But there must be other ways to get his life back! Surely you know of another way…” she sounded indecisive and Hades had caught her in a trap.

“So if I tell you there was another way, this ‘favor’ you keep talking about…its cleared?” he asked, slyly.

“There is another way.”

Hades let out a cry. Persephone had gotten up too and joined her husband, politely bowing to the rest of them. Only Cerberus bowed back, though.

“Persephone, what are you-?”

“Shush, now, husband. What else do you wish to know?” Persephone asked.

Belle was looking at his wife strangely; as if she were deciding whether or not to trust her. 

“How would one go about doing that exactly? If you don’t mind saying,” she added quickly. 

Persephone nudged a very begrudged Hades, and urged him to speak. He let out a frustrated sigh.

“I set a test and if you pass it, you’re free to leave.”

“Just like that? No price or anything?” Belle asked again.

She really was smarter than any of the other humans he’d encountered before. She knew precisely what she was getting into, and as much as he hated it, Hades admired her for it. It was not everyday he could stumble into a living person who could almost match his wit. Almost.

“No price.” he answered but held up his hand when she was about to speak.

“But…should he fail, you’d do well to remember that he would be mine and that I would be free to do whatever it is that I want with him.”

That seemed to shut her up, though only momentarily. Her husband, Rumplestiltskin, had been silent the entire time, watching his wife in awe as she bargained for his life. Hades snorted at how pathetic the man looked, almost like a lovesick puppy. 

“It won’t come to that,” Belle promised and Hades guffawed.

“Your confidence is one not many would find…charming,” he whispered and for some reason, she found it funny. Persephone’s eyes were glued to the couple before her, she was enchanted by them for some reason. It only gave Hades some more reason to hate Belle and Rumplestiltskin. They had cut off Hades’ special dinner plans with his wife and now she seemed to be more interested in their tales of woe than in him at the current moment.

“Yes, well, I have reason to believe that Rumple’s going to succeed,” Belle said sweetly, her hand moving to cover Rumplestiltskin’s. 

“Do tell,” Hades insisted.

“Because I’m going to be there with him, when he goes through this test.”

Hades grinned evilly. This was going to be good.

“I’m afraid that’s not possible, dear girl. You see, he has to do this. By himself,” he emphasized on the latter word, making sure Belle heard him clearly. He waited for her cocky expression to change into horror when she realized what he’d said but he was disappointed. The stupid smile on her face had not faltered, she was grinning even wider now. Why was she so determined to get on his nerves? 

“What in Devil’s name are you sniggering about? Did you not hear what I just said? You can’t go in with him!”

“Yes, I can.”

Oh, if he had his way with her…

“How do you expect to do that?”

“Don’t forget…you owe me that favor.”

Hades was enraged. And everyone there could tell that he was; the ground was shaking, the plates and glasses from the dinner table behind Hades and Persephone began to fall to the ground, shattering into pieces. 

“Hades,” Persephone hissed and he turned to her in disbelief.

“My love, this is preposterous! She comes in here and demands a favor, one as ridiculous as this-you cannot expect me to stand by and do nothing!” he was screaming like a spoiled child and Persephone could only shake her head in embarrassment.

“You must forgive my husband, he has a horrible temper and it gets out of hand sometimes,” she apologized to the damned pregnant witch and her no-good husband, whilst they nodded and accepted it. Why was she apologizing to them? How-

“It’s alright, really. You should’ve seen how Rumple used to throw one of his little tantrums before. I had to drag him down by the ears to have him calm down again,” Belle chatted away, as though none of this was bothering her. Rumplestiltskin turned a deep shade of red and he looked away from Belle. Hades felt a surge of pity for him, how did he even put up with an infernal creature like Belle?

“I believe I might be able to bring some sense into him, but it will take a bit of time. Why don’t you bring your…Rumplestilskin was it?-and tend to his injuries while I talk my husband down. And once he's cooled down a little, I’ll summon the two of you back, hmm? Cerberus, won’t you be a dear and take them to one of the free chambers?”

Hades, impressed by just how easy it was for his wife to take charge, nodded glumly to his wife’s suggestions. Belle’s face was lit up as she bowed before the two of them.

“Of course, my Lady,” Cerberus murmured, leading the two out of the room.

“And Cerberus?” Hades shouted.

“Yes, Master?”

“Go back to doing your job instead of helping out miscreants and giving me hell all of the time!”

Hades heard Cerberus chuckle as the doors slammed shut behind them, leaving him alone with his precious wife at last. He scratched his head, thinking of something to say to her. Was she mad at him?

“You behaved so rudely to your guests, Hades,” she whispered, walking back to her seat. Hades trotted along behind her, glancing down at the broken glass that lay at his feet. Dinner was ruined now.

“Believe me, dear, they’re not guests,” he expressed in a bitter tone.

“Well, I find their little adventure a rather compelling story, don’t you think?”

He grunted in response, thinking that he’d rather hold back exactly what he thought of the pair of troublemakers. He had a headache now. He felt warm hands wrap around his chest and trembled when Persephone placed a soft kiss on the back of his neck. 

“I’m sorry I lashed out earlier, my sweet. I know I promised you that I’d control my anger more,” he said sincerely.

“Perhaps I should drag you by your ears as well.” she teased.

“You can do whatever you like,” he mumbled as he turned to face her, his hands going down to her hips again.

She laughed as he leaned in, pressing his lips to hers. 

“Best make sure no one else interrupts us this time-” 

There was a clicking noise; the locks were enchanted, and no one could come in now. Whatever business, or favor, he owed anyone, they could all wait. His wife was finally home, after six months apart, and there was nothing else that was more important to him than that. He was sure of it.


	19. Chapter 19

“When Persephone said chambers, this isn’t what I had in mind, Cerberus.”

Belle was standing in a room, or something that used to look like one. There was a single light bulb there that lit up the dingy room, the walls looked like they would cave in at any moment and the only thing in Belle’s mind was how the small cell Rumplestiltskin had put her in when she had first arrived at the Dark Castle seemed like a suite compared to this.

She spotted a single mattress dumped on the floor by the corner, and wondered to what extent Hades disliked her.

“The Lady had nothing to do with this. Hades was the one who arranged this,” Cerberus replied.

She now knew just how much he hated her. Was all this because she had outsmarted him or was there a bigger picture? Perhaps he was scared of her, or maybe he was just angry that she had survived this place with ease.

“Right, well, be sure to thank him for me,” she said sardonically and the woman nodded.

“I’ll be back.”

The door (Belle was surprised that there even was a door) swung shut and she heard Cerberus’ footsteps shuffling away. She was alone with Rumple again. She took a deep breath before she turned to him, and caught him staring at her sheepishly. Embarrassed at getting caught, he whirled around, pretending to inspect the room they had been placed in.

“We might have to spend the night here, Belle, so why don’t you, uh, take the bed? I can sleep on the ground,” he started to say.

“That’s rubbish! You’re hurt and if you sleep on the cold ground, you won’t be getting any better,” she scolded, taking his hand and leading him to the mattress despite his protests.

“You’re pregnant, Belle-”

“-And you’re hurt, Rumple!”

The two of them stared at each other for a moment, neither were willing to let this argument go. Belle huffed as she sat down on the mattress, and motioned for him to sit next to her.

“There’s enough space here for the two of us-Oh, for heaven’s sake, Rumplestiltskin, just sit down!”

He seemed to think for a moment, but gave in to her, pushing himself down to the thin mattress. They were silent for a while, having lost the ability to speak all of a sudden. He groaned a little, he must be in pain from all the walking, Belle thought.

“Why don’t you lay down, and I’ll see if I can do anything to alleviate the pain,” she offered slowly but he grew wide-eyed, and threw his hands up defensively.

“That, uh, won’t be necessary, Belle. It’ll be healed in the morning,” he mumbled.

“What are you talking about?” Belle asked, wondering if he had gone insane. How was that even possible?

“It’s this place, Belle…no matter how badly hurt you get, it all resets the next day...that's how I've managed to stay in one piece this whole time. Tomorrow, I’ll be alright again, you’ll see,” he said, flashing her a convincing smile. But Belle knew better than to fall for that. 

“So what? I’m just supposed to sit here and watch you suffer until tomorrow? And look at the state of you, you look filthy!”

“It doesn’t matter, Belle. Please, let’s just drop this…”

“Take your shirt off, Rumplestiltskin, and let me at least clean you up.”

He looked at her like she was asking him to jump off a cliff. 

“No, I-”

“Take it off, Rumplestiltskin, or I’ll do it myself!”

She had to bite her tongue to stop out from laughing at his reaction. She hated forcing him to do it, but she couldn’t do nothing. His hair was strewn about, there was blood all over his clothes and face, she was doing him a favor. He complied, though he cast her a rather dark look, as he shucked off his coat. She watched his nimble fingers at work as he unbuttoned his shirt, looking away when he exposed a bit of his skin. She stood up, wobbled a little, and searched for any source of water.

She saw a pail by the door and to her glee, it was full of water. Thanking Hades silently, she moved it to where Rumplestiltskin was, using her legs to push it when her arms grew tired of it. She set it down next to him and going through her pocket, she swiped out her handkerchief and waved it at his face. He was holding his shirt to his chest, his face turned away from Belle as if he was ashamed. 

This isn’t the first time I’m seeing you undressed, she’d wanted to say but decided it would be best if she did not. Instead, she tapped him on the leg.

“Rumple, please, I just want to help,” she whispered.

Her words seemed to go through his head and a minute later, he lowered the shirt and Belle took a glimpse of what he had actually been trying to hide from her. She could not stop herself from touching the scar on his chest, careful enough not to put too much pressure on it in case it still hurt. She could feel his heartbeat, and it was going so fast.

“This-this looks like the scar on Henry’s chest,” Belle said, tracing over it lightly. He had closed his eyes at her touch.

“Yeah,” his voice was barely audible, “I traded my soul for Henry’s, so whatever wound or scar he had…it transferred to me after I-.”

After he died. Belle dipped the handkerchief into the pail and squeezed it before dabbing at his face. He struggled, hissing out when she ran the cloth over the cuts on his faces. 

“I’m sorry,” she muttered, pulling it back from him. This had been a bad idea. She was only hurting him more this way. She was about to throw the handkerchief back into the pail when she felt his hand grip her wrists, and he guided them back to his face, wincing when the cold water touched his skin.

“Don’t be. You’re taking care of me, Belle, just like you promised you would. Don’t let me stop you now,” he said, urging her to do what she needed to do. She smiled sadly and continued.

“Rumple, if you gave your soul for Henry’s…what about Killian? Which Dark One‘s soul was his exchanged for?” she asked, hoping to keep him occupied with the questions. She was at his chest now, her eyes roamed his frame, taking note of the bruises and scars she uncovered. 

“I don’t know, Belle. I just know that he’s dangerous, that’s why I warned you to take Henry and leave. There’s no telling what Hook would do-”

“-What do you mean?” Belle’s hand had stopped moving, she was frozen in place, staring at him in horror.

“He did things here, Belle, terrible things. And just as my time spent here had affected me when I was brought back to our world, it’s going to be same for him. He’ll be alive but he’ll also remember everything he did down here, Belle. There’s no way for us to know if he is capable of handling it. Look at what happened to me…” Rumple sighed.

“Wh-what did he do down here? Did you also-?” she swallowed.

Rumple had never talked about what had happened before. But maybe now that she was here, in the same place he had been, he would finally let loose the secrets he had kept buried all this time.

“When you end up in this place with a heart as rotten as mine or the pirate's, Hades gives you two choices, you see. Freedom…” he waited a moment.

“…or enslavement.” he finished.

Belle inched in close to him, the cloth lay next to her already forgotten, and grasped his trembling hands. 

“That’s an easy choice to make,” she said and he laughed.

“But often times, it’s the harder choices you take that leads you down the right path. It’s what lead me back to you, Belle,” Rumple had ceased talking, and he looked as if he was going to cry.

“And Hook chose freedom?” 

She had to let him continue, he was finally opening up to her. If she comforted him now, he would never talk to her about it again. He would shut himself from her, and his silence would only add to his suffering. This was the only way she could ease his burden for him.

“No. He chose the opposite, actually,” Rumple spoke quietly.

“I don’t understand? Why would anyone choose to be enslaved?”

“You would, if you were foolish enough to fall for the devil’s tricks. Hades throws praises at your feet, showers you with gifts and promises you cannot deny and then he binds you into a contract you won’t be able to refuse. In the end, you’re free to do anything you want, so long as you do everything he asks you to do. Freedom, for a small price.”

Belle was not surprised at this. Hades had proved to be a far more dangerous villain she’d ever encountered, including Pan and Cora. Of course, she could not really coin him as a villain, it was his job to run the Underworld and unlike Pan or Cora, he did it out of obligation and not for revenge. 

“So what was it that Hook did for him?” 

“Breaking souls. It’s a job no one wants down here and Hades doesn’t like to get his hands dirty, so he tricks the passing human souls into doing it for him. Hook was the same, he-he tortured the souls that try to escape this place, turning them insane and finally, extracts whatever is left of them. The remains of the souls, according to the other prisoners in the cell, Hades consumes them,” he finished and Belle scrunched her nose in disgust.

He ate them? No wonder he’s so unpleasant and horrible all the time, she thought.

“What about you?” she asked, pressing him.

“I burned.” 

His reply was so cool that it did not really register to her at first. 

“Rumple-what?” she gawked and he half-smiled at her response.

“That’s how you go free here, Belle. You burn and when you do, all your sins and misdeeds are cleansed. The only reason I didn’t end up in the burning room this time is because my heart is still-”

“-Pure.”

His heart was still true, that was why this time he had ended up in the prison block instead. He took back the darkness but in the process of saving Henry, it had all been completely removed from him. The Dark One did not exist anymore, it could not hurt Rumple anymore and she was only realizing the importance of it all now.

“Rumple, this means you’re human again?”

“Yes, though I’m still very much dead, Belle. But if things go well with Hades…who knows,” he replied.

The mood in the room was somber, and Belle hated it. She wanted things to be good between them, but just the sight of him depressed her. Belle went back to cleaning him and he looked like he was fine with it. She washed his hair, pulling on the knotted hairs and heard him complaining under his breath. She allowed herself to smile lightly before moving on to his back. She made him turn so she had full access to his back, making it easy for her to rid all of the dirt that had been stuck to him. She apologized profusely when a moan escaped his lips, she had pressed the cloth too hard on a cut and it must have stung him.

“I think-that’s enough, Belle,” he said, standing up to put on his shirt again. She stood up as well, dropping the dirty handkerchief back into the pail. 

Rumple stepped into the light and Belle thought he looked much better. He looked quite decent now, and all he needed was a pair of fresh clothing that fit him. His clothes had become too big for him, and she noticed that he had a little bit of a stubble growing. She felt something cold against her skin and looked down; his hand was at her waist. Belle waited to see if he would try to feel the baby but he pulled back quickly, licking his lips nervously.

“How far are you along?” he asked.

“Six months now, I guess.”

He nodded seriously, his hands were trying to be busy, pulling at his shirt.

“You can touch it…if you want,” she said, her heart skipping a beat. He looked up at her and she could see the longing in his eyes. But she also saw fear. He lifted his hands once more, and they grazed against her stomach. Belle helped him, bringing his hands to rest on her belly. They stood there like that for a while, Belle was staring up at Rumple, drinking in his expressions. He bent down slowly, and placed a kiss on her stomach. Belle giggled at the tickling sensation she felt.

He pressed another kiss to her belly when she felt something. She clawed at his shoulders and he looked up at her in alarm. 

“Rumple-!” she cried out.

“Belle, what’s wrong?”

She shushed him, asking him to put his hands back on her stomach. He did so, waiting for a second or so and then-

“Belle!” it was his time to yell out now. Except this time, Belle was laughing at his shock. It’s the baby, she said to herself, it’s kicking! This time, she placed her hands on top of his and they felt yet another kick. Rumple actually jumped a little, he still seemed a little dazed that this was happening.

“Has this ever-I mean, does this happen all the time, Belle?” he asked.

“No-I think the baby’s recognized you, Rumple! That’s right, baby, that’s your papa,” she said, giggling away. His face fell then, and he stepped away from her, shrouded by the darkness. Belle frowned, and beckoned him to come back.

“What is it, Rumple?”

He shook his head, and let his gaze drop to the floor.

“I’m afraid, Belle,” he whispered, pushing her away when she came close to him. But Belle refused to give up.

“Talk to me, Rumple, what are you frightened of?”

She had to know. He had been fine earlier-

“Everything, Belle! You’re telling the baby that I’m it’s papa and I know that can never be,” he shouted, falling back onto the mattress. 

“And why not?” He was not the only one who could raise his voice.

“What if all this fails, Belle? What happens when I lose whatever test Hades has planned out for me? I’ll be stuck here and the baby…it won’t know me! And if by some miracle I get out of here, what then? There goes the child of the monster, people will say! You don’t know how much torment Baelfire had to go through, everywhere he went, the villagers would call him the son of a coward, no one would play with him because he was the son of the Dark One…his whole life was ruined because of who-no, what-I am, Belle. I refuse to do the same to our child…I can’t…”

“So you’re saying either way it won’t work out? You’re asking me to give up on us, on the baby, is that what you’re saying, Rumple?”

There was no reply from him. 

Belle had the urge to strangle him. He still had reason to doubt himself, think he was undeserving of their child and it was all because he could not move on from the past? 

“So what if people talk, Rumple? So what if the children won’t play with our child? We can move away from Storybrooke, go somewhere far away, where we can start a new life together…or are these just excuses because you don’t want me or the baby?” she seethed.

“How can you say that? Of course I want you…I’m just scared I’ll fail you again. I never thought I would hurt you again and yet, that’s the only thing I seem to be good at doing to you. I keep thinking that someday you’re going to see who I really am and then you’ll walk out, and never come back again, Belle.”

Belle paused. She went over to where he was, kneeling, and grabbed his face rather roughly. 

“I have seen the real you, Rumplestiltskin. The real you is the man I fell in love with years ago in the Enchanted Forest and I would never leave him, not for anything in the world. After everything you’ve done, hell-after everything I’ve done to you, we’ve always come back to each other, haven’t we? I’ve walked away from you far too many times and the Gods know how many times I’ve seen you walk into Death’s arms and I won’t let that happen again. Not even Hades can keep you from me and I promise you, Rumple, I will get you out of here.”

“Y-you still love me?” 

Belle touched her forehead against his, smiling through her tears.

“Of course I do, silly man! Would I have come here if I didn’t?”

He gave a small whimper, and Belle kissed him lightly on the cheek.

“Now, why don’t you get some sleep?” she said, gently pushing him so he lay down with his back to the mattress. He agreed, moving a little to the left to give her some room to squeeze in with him. 

Belle and Rumple simply laid there, breathing softly, feeling happier now than they had felt in months. Belle felt his hand snake up to her chest, resting there, feeling her heartbeat. She did the same, tapping at his chest gently, trying to find his pulse. She stared up at the ceiling above her, and did not know when exactly she fell asleep, dozing off beside her Rumple.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is split into 2 parts; one a flashback and the other is present day Storybrooke. Thanks for all the comments and hope you all enjoy! :)

Rumplestiltskin woke up in a dark room, covered in sweat. He was thrashing around the bed, feeling as though someone was pressing a pillow over his face, and he couldn’t breathe. He could not scream, his throat was too dry. He thought he saw a face in the dark room, an ugly green face staring back at him with her wide sneer.

“N-no,” he begged the figure to stay back but she threw her head back and laughed.

“Please, please, d-don’t,” he was saying but she edged forward. He could not move, he was glued to the ground. Her face was an inch away from hers, he could feel her breath on his neck. He closed his eyes, and tried to master his own breathing. 

This isn’t real, this isn’t real, this isn’t real, he chanted to himself.

He felt someone touch him, rubbing his back. It was too gentle, too soft, too...real. Rumplestiltskin opened his eyes and looked into a pair of ocean blue eyes, the negative images and thoughts cleared from his head and he could finally breathe again.

“Shh, it’s alright, Rumple…it was just a bad dream,” the woman was saying to him soothingly.

He looked at her, trying to think of her name. He knew her, but he couldn’t remember her name. He glanced around the room, trying to figure out where he was.

“You’re okay…you’re at home, with me, Rumple.”

Home? There was a fireplace by the corner, he was sitting upright on a bed. There were picture frames that hung around the room.

Home….

u

“B-Belle?” he croaked and she nodded with a smile.

He was home, he was with Belle, she was here with him. Zelena was gone. He was safe.

“I t-thought I saw her. In here,” he whispered.

“She’s not here, Rumple. She can’t hurt you anymore, not while I’m here,” Belle said, moving her hand from his back to his face. 

“Yes,” was all he could say. She was so warm and he felt so cold. Could she tell how cold he was?

“Come on, let’s get you back into bed, okay?”

He nodded, as she placed a pillow under his head, his skin coming in contact with the cool sheets. Belle brought the blanket up to his chest and kissed him on the forehead. He felt her lie down next to him.

“Belle?”

“Hmm?”

“How do I become brave like you?” he asked.

She turned her head to him.

“I’m not brave,” she replied.

“You fight my monsters for me, Belle. You’re brave.”

She laughed, her voice sounded like music to his ears. He couldn’t help but smile.

“Here, let me show you something my mother taught me when I was a child,” she said, taking his hand and placing it on her chest. She then placed her own hand on his chest and he waited for her to explain.

“Whenever you’re afraid, always remember this, Rumple. Every beat of my heart that you feel, is a promise that as long as I’m alive, I will fight anything and everything to keep you safe. It’s a promise that someday, all of your fears will be put to rest, and you can finally be free again. I’m never brave, Rumple, I’m just not scared of anything. And if you ever forget how to not be scared, all you have to do is place your hand on my chest and remind yourself.”

All was quiet in the room, as Rumple lay there in the darkness, feeling Belle’s heartbeat, her promise to him that she would never give up on him. No matter how much she tried to deny her bravery, he could see it in the way she spoke, the way she acted. He had never seen someone as courageous and heroic as her.

She was his hero, he thought.

“Your mother…she told you this too? When you were a child?” he was curious. She never really spoke much about her mother, but she had told him that her mother had died tragically. Belle never said how or when but Rumple knew better than to ask her. She would get upset at any mention of her mother and he could not stand to see her so sad.

“Yeah,” she whispered, “I used to be so frightened that the ogres would come into my room and find me so I’d sneak in to her chambers and beg her to let me stay there. She’d made me the same promise and in the end, she died trying to keep that promise…”

Rumple was silent. He rolled over to her side, and caught her lips with his. She kissed him back, and he could feel her hot tears sticking to his cheeks. He vowed to himself that he would never, ever make her cry again. He would give her only the best, he would cherish her, and in his mind she would live forever.

It was a promise he made to himself, and it was one that he would break, along with her heart.  
****************************************************************************************************************************************************************  
Regina was sitting at Granny’s, with her arm around Henry’s as they waited for their orders to arrive. Regina noticed how pale Henry’s face was, and placing her hand on his forehead, she found he was running a temperature. But this fever’s cure couldn’t be found in Whale’s hospital or any other pharmacy in the town, the only medicine Henry needed was time.

The spell Hades had placed on him was wearing out, and because it came from the Underworld, the effects it had on her son could only be waited out. As frightened as Regina was that her son would finally learn the truth of what had happened to him and his grandfather in the other world, she was also glad in a way. Regina did not know how long she could’ve hid it from him, the boy would’ve found out somehow.

The only regret she had was that she didn’t have the courage to tell Belle the truth, and she deserved to know it. Because of the unconvincing lies they had spewed out, Belle had decided to take matters into her own hands and had descended into the Underworld by herself. If anything happened to Belle, Regina wasn’t sure if she could ever forgive herself.

“Mom, are you okay?” Henry asked and she snapped out of her thoughts, giving him a worn out smile. It hurt her to see her little prince like this, he looked as though he had had his life sucked out of him. And despite everything, he managed to pretend like none of it bothered him. She knew he was upset that they knew what Belle had done, and they did not seem to be doing anything to bring her back. 

“I’m fine, Henry. I have to use the bathroom, why don’t you go and ask Granny how long that hot chocolate is going to take?” she mumbled, as she stood up. He nodded weakly, walking over to the busy counter. Regina stumbled into the bathroom, her hands trembling as she reached into her handbag, and pulled out a bottle of pills.

Taking two, she washed it down with the water from the sink. She looked up at her reflection, and saw how much different she looked now. The air of confidence she always carried around her was gone, there was nothing but pain and conflict in her eyes. She had not expected to be this badly affected by their trip to the Underworld.

It was no wonder Rumplestiltskin had snapped after his son and Belle had resurrected him. The man had probably gone through a much worse ordeal, as soon as he came back to life he had been enslaved by Zelena and had to watch his son die in front of him. Sometimes Regina wondered why she didn’t ever check on him, why she had never bothered to see how he was doing. She found herself thinking that perhaps if she had been there for him as a friend, she would’ve been able to save him somehow.

But she had failed him, hadn’t he? She did have another chance to save him and she had just stood by, while he had asked them if they all agreed to sacrifice him. Regina had been too busy thinking how she could never live without her son to realize that to get him back, she would lose the oldest friend she’d had. How could she ever have agreed to seal a man’s fate like that? 

She stooped down and splashed some water onto her face, forcing herself to wake up. Everything she did in the Underworld was in the past, she had to let it go. There was nothing more important to her than Henry. She couldn’t make it right with Belle or Rumplestiltskin, but she could with her son. 

She would’ve told him already had it not been for Emma. The now-sheriff of Storybrooke could not yet face her son and tell him the truth. Regina had decided to give Emma time, until she was ready and then they would both sit Henry down and explain everything to him.

Regina exited the bathroom, her eyes scanning the room for Henry and found their table empty. She glanced towards the counter but he wasn’t there either, and she felt panic grip at her. She ran out of the diner and she saw Henry standing there, and Hook was there with him. To see them standing so close brought back horrible, repressed memories. She yelled Henry’s name, rushing to where the two of them stood, ready to cast a fireball at the pirate. Regina pushed him away roughly, and pulled Henry back.

“Mom, what-?” Henry asked.

“You stay away from him!” she was screaming. She could see people in the street stopping to watch the show. Hook was blank-faced, he did not show any reaction. He backed away without another word.

It took Regina a few minutes to calm down, she was shaking terribly. She had lost control, Hook had not meant her son any harm and she had overreacted. How the hell was she going to explain this to Henry?

She felt his hand on her back and she turned to him.

“What was that?” he asked.

“I-Nothing, Henry. I thought he was going to hurt you,” she whispered, leaning against one of the cars by the entrance of the diner. 

“That’s crazy! I saw him outside and I just wanted to see how he was doing, that’s all. Mom…why would you think he‘d want to hurt me?” Henry asked, though he looked rather sullen now.

“No, I just need to-I need to get used to the fact he’s not the Dark One anymore…”

Her lie, even to her, sounded pathetic. He didn’t say anything though and she was grateful. She felt like she had just gone through a heart attack and was pretty sure that if he bombarded her with more questions, she would actually have one.

“So, where’s our hot chocolate?” she asked.

“It’s in there. I’ve already asked Granny to pack them along with some muffins. C’mon, let’s go,” he ushered her back into the diner.


	21. Chapter 21

There was a loud banging noise coming from outside, and there were no signs of it coming to an end. Belle stirred slightly and yelled that the shop was still closed, forgetting that the pawnshop was now worlds away. Beside her, Rumple was still fast asleep.

She rose up, and observed him. He had been right about the whole healing process, she thought, as she examined his face more closely. The jagged cuts and bruises had now faded and could barely be seen. She gently reached over to see if the scar on his chest had disappeared as well but to her dismay it was still there, looking as gruesome as ever.

“Bae…” 

She quickly sprang back to her side of the bed, afraid she might wake him from his deep slumber. Belle wanted to give him some privacy but she knew he was having yet another one of his unpleasant dreams (he refused to call them nightmares) and she didn’t want to leave him alone.

“I’m sorry son, please, Bae….” he seemed to be mumbling. She swept his hair away from his face, and had a sudden urge to just lean down and kiss him. Feeling rather silly, she instead shook him lightly, hoping to get him awake.

He opened his eyes, and stared up at the ceiling. He was breathing slowly, a little too slowly and Belle felt for his pulse to see if he was still alive. 

“There’s no need for that, Belle,” he said suddenly and Belle jumped.

“Oh, I-sorry. I just wanted to check if you’re-”

“-alive? Yeah, no, I’m still dead.”

Oh. She’d forgotten about that. He gave her a small smirk and she pouted at him. Belle didn’t know how she could have ever learned to tolerate him, he was dead and yet he was still a major pain in the a-

“What’s that noise?” Rumple asked, staggering a little as he stood up. Belle noticed his limp was gone as well. He offered her his hand and she took it, surprised at the strength he had now that he was back to his old self. Almost, she thought, there was the matter of retrieving his soul back.

When he pulled her to his feet, she lost her footing, and tumbled. He caught her before the two of them fell, his hands holding her steadily in place. Belle was leaning against his chest, rather heavily she might add, and his face was intimately close to hers. She did not know what might have happened had they not been interrupted by the sound outside.

Rumple asked her to stay there, an order which she simply ignored, and stalked to the door. He approached it with caution and making sure Belle was out of the way, he pulled it open and someone stumbled into the room.

“Belle!”

“Cerberus!”

Cerberus hugged her rather tightly, to the point that she had to beg him to let go. She was glad that her old friend was back, it had felt so strange to call the other head Cerberus. She spotted Rumple sulking in the corner as he watched Cerberus kiss Belle on the top of her head.

“How have you been? I missed you!” she cried out in joy, much to Cerberus’ surprise.

“I’ve only been gone for a day or two,” Cerberus murmured, turning to face Rumplestiltskin.

“Yes, but that was a different head…” 

She stopped talking to see Cerberus shake Rumple’s hands, in a way so awkward that she had to hide her giggle behind a cough. The two of them moved instantaneously, with concerned looks on their faces. 

“Are you alright, Belle?” Cerberus asked.

“You don’t sound too good,” Rumple butted in.

“It’s nothing. So, has Hades made a decision on this whole matter yet?” Belle attempted to steer the conversation away from the drama the two were about to begin. She knew Cerberus was only being friendly but she also knew that Rumple distrusted almost everyone.

She couldn’t blame him, though. The Charmings’ have always disregarded her, they did not care for her unless they needed her or Rumple’s help for fixing whatever mess they made. Regina had apologized to Belle for the things she’d done but she had often used her as an advantage against Rumple, for example when she ripped Belle’s heart out without her consent just to keep Rumple on a leash. Regina had said she was sorry but Belle doubted she truly meant it. Ruby, her werewolf pal, was good to her to some degree except for the time she had chained her up at the library and then forgot to send someone to set her free until one in the morning (she had accidentally fallen asleep until Charming came for her).

The few friends that helped her out because they genuinely cared about her, she could count off her fingers. Belle knew Rumple disapproved of her being friends with the others because they always took advantage of her naivety and her innocence. She had pointed out to him once that he did the same by lying to her during the course of their marriage, to which he fell silent. In truth, it wasn’t that she was too trusting but rather, she could not bear to see someone broken-hearted and in need of help. It was just in her nature to try and help them the best she could, never mind if they ended up breaking her heart in the process.

“Yes, he’d like to see you both right away,” Cerberus said, motioning for them to exit the room. Belle nodded, walking out first. Rumple followed her, shadowing her from behind, making sure there was a distance between Cerberus and her. She wanted to tell him off at that moment but decided to hold off the nagging until after they were actually out of this hellish place. It would not be wise to start a fight, not when they depended on each other right now. But she was sure to cast him stern glares whenever Rumple opened his mouth to talk to Cerberus. She was certain that nothing good would come out of his mouth, and was satisfied to see him walk the rest of the way quietly.

“So, what was his decision?” Belle asked.

“I’m afraid he didn’t say…I daresay you’ll find out soon enough,” Cerberus called out from behind.

They came to a stop, a huge wall blocking their way.

“Are you sure this is the right place, dog?”

Belle rolled her eyes.

“ ‘Course it is. Look!”

And look they did. The wall began to shake, specks of dust falling all around them. It shifted slowly, moving to the left and revealed a beautifully painted door. The door was covered with little stars, and they seemed to be shimmering. Belle reached out to touch them but Cerberus pulled her back.

“You can’t touch it! Here, let me-”

Cerberus placed the palm of his hand on the door and the stars began to rearrange themselves, much to Belle’s amazement.

“It’s a map!” she exclaimed.

“Yes,” Cerberus replied.

“To where?”

“Everywhere. This is how the doors work, you see. I place my hand, and the stars sense where it is I want to go and-here we are!”

He pushed the door open and they were once again back in the large hallway Cerberus had first taken Belle to, except this time there was no music, no people, just dead silence. They walked towards Hades’ thrones, and Belle watched Rumple gaping at the beautiful structures all around him. This had been her when she had first entered, she thought. 

The three of them stood on the platform, looking up at the throne above them. Before the platform would ascend them to where Hades was, Belle grabbed Rumple’s hand. He smiled, and looked shocked when he felt the platform began to push them upwards. 

“It seems our dear guests have arrived, darling!” Belle heard a woman call out.

Persephone was there to greet them first. Rumple and Belle stepped off, and watched as the platform began its descend with Cerberus on it.

“Cerberus, you’re not coming?” Belle asked.

“I’m afraid not, Belle. I have duties that I must tend to. Can’t have any more souls escaping now, can we?”

Belle shook her head, her hand raised in farewell to her dear friend. But she had a feeling that things were not quite over between them. She would see Cerberus again, and then she could say goodbye to him properly.

Rumple said something under his breath and she swatted away at him.

“Belle, what-?” he asked, alarmed.

“Why do you have to be so mean all the time?” 

“He was-I don’t trust him, Belle,” Rumple cried back in exasperation. 

“Well, I trust him more than I trust you at the moment.”

She saw a flash of hurt in his eyes and wished she could take it back. She didn’t really mean it but if it would stop his unruly behavior of being bitter about everyone and everything, she’d do it again. He muttered something that sounded like an apology, rubbing his arm in the spot that she had hit him.

The two of them looked to Persephone, who was now watching them like a spider eyeing its prey. It gave her chills and judging from the looks Rumple gave her, she was sure he felt the same. Persephone was seated on the throne, her husband was nowhere to be seen.

“Hello,” Belle began shyly.

“Welcome back, my dears…you both look well rested. You had a good night I presume?” Persephone asked kindly.

“We’d have done a lot better if you’d given us a proper room-”

Rumple halted, his words caught in his throat as Belle threw yet another glare at him, daring him to say more.

“We loved it, my Lady. We simple cannot thank you enough for the hospitality you have shown us here,” Belle said.

Persephone nodded, bowing gently. 

“I see you’ve made it here safely,” Hades’ voice came from behind them.

There was a loud cracking noise and Hades appeared out of nowhere. He went to stand next to his wife, kissing the back of her hand. The creases in his features vanished when he looked at Persephone and it returned when he faced Rumple and her.

“Yes, thanks to Cerberus,” Belle mentioned curtly.

“Yes, I must thank him.” Hades murmured, though Belle could tell he was being insincere. He must have hoped some horrific tragedy had befallen on Rumple and her so that he wouldn’t have to deal with their problems any longer. Belle smiled sweetly to him, enjoying the fact that he looked so bothered about it.

“So, my wife and I have decided what we’re going to do with the two of you.”

Belle felt her heart beating loudly. Rumple’s fingers brushed against hers, he was afraid. She took a deep breath, she had to be brave for both of them now. No matter what happened, she wouldn’t stop fighting for him. Never.

“I give him a task, one you will be allowed to assist him with. Should he pass this test, his soul will be returned to him. However, if you wish to depart from this world with him by your side, he will need to go through a test. And that, I regret to inform, is something he must do alone. Those are the rules. Do you accept?”

Okay, calm down, she said to herself. Hades’ words were running through her mind in a loop. They would be given a task and she'd be there to help him with it. That didn’t sound too bad. And then there was the issue with the test. She would not be present for that…and admittedly, she was a little worried.

“I accept.”

Rumple’s voice rang out.

“Rumple, we should at least think this through,” Belle whispered.

“It’s alright, Belle. We can do this.”

“What about the test? I won’t be there with you…are you sure?” she was scared. 

At least if they were together, they’d be able to figure something out. Sending him off on his own was another matter. What if Hades tried to trick Rumple while he was alone? Surely he would set a trap for Rumple? 

“I don’t like it, Rumple. What if it’s a trick?” 

“It’s the only option we have left, Belle. We can try, please,” his voice was pleading…desperate, even.

He was right. There was no other way, Hades would not give them another choice. It was this, or nothing.

“Alright, we accept.”

Hades sneered widely.

“What is it? What’s the task you have for us?” Belle asked, tightening her grip on Rumple. 

“In exchange for your soul, all I ask in return is you set free three other souls. Do that, and you can get yours back.”

“And how do we do that? How do we set a soul free?” Rumple’s voice quivered, but he remained stoic.

“Can’t say.”

“What about the test?” Belle questioned.

“When the time comes, he’ll know. Now that you’ve agreed to this, and you’ve been educated on your objectives, shall we begin?”

Belle looked to Rumple, he looked pale and distraught. Her gaze dropped to his chest and she longed to feel his warm skin against hers. He was always so cold, like a corpse, and she wished to see him come back to life. And there was only one way to do that.

“Yes.” they said together.

Hades clapped his hands gleefully and everything went dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yikes! Hades can be a real pain in the ass sometimes, can't he? As always, thanks for all the comments and the likes.I really do appreciate it! Enjoy :)


	22. Chapter 22

They were standing in the middle of a meadow, oddly-shaped tress surrounding them. Belle felt her hands slip out of Rumple’s as she began to wander, trying to figure out where they were. The sky was bright still, and Belle stooped to pluck a flower by her feet. Wherever they were, it was a beautiful place. She turned to Rumple and saw that he was quiet, as though he were deep in thought. He hadn’t moved from the spot and she was a little worried.

“Rumple?” she called and he looked at her.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

He caught up to where she was in brisk strides, and took the flower she was holding. He examined it, turning it over in his hands before tucking it behind her ear.

“What-?” 

“I know this place, Belle. I’ve been here before,” he whispered, looking ahead. Belle only noticed then that there was a pathway leading them away from the meadow and into the woods.

“What is this place?” she asked.

“Come on,” he mumbled, as he made his way to the path. She scurried behind him, her hands clenched into fists, ready to fight anything. He never spoke a word as they made it out of the woods, and Belle didn’t want to bother him either. They arrived at what she could only describe as a quaint little village, the houses were all small and arranged in an orderly fashion.

In the middle of the village was the market, and it was awfully busy. Villagers passed by them, pushing them lightly as they crowded at the stalls. There were so many odd things for sale, like a chair that only had three legs or a teapot that didn’t have a lid on. The villagers didn’t seem to mind, as they threw coins into the sellers’ hands before taking the items away.

“Rumple, what is this place?” she repeated, hoping he would answer her this time. 

“I came here once as a little boy with my father but I don’t remember why, though. I don’t know what we did here…why can’t I remember?”

She squeezed his hand. 

“Why did Hades send us here, then?” 

“I don’t know, Belle.”

They fell silent once more, but the noise from the market had not died down. Rumple suddenly pulled her towards one of the stalls nearby, a small shop that sold pretty trinkets of all sorts.

“Here,” he murmured as he picked out a beautiful necklace and pressed it onto her palms. There was a locket hanging in the middle, and she fell in love with it at once. On the locket was an engraving of the sun and the moon, and there were some words etched onto it that she could not read.

“Tell me, my sweet child, do you know the story of the Sun and the Moon?”

The voice alarmed Belle. An elderly woman stepped out from inside of the shop, and she had the widest smile on her face. Belle felt Rumple step up next to her protectively but she brushed him off.

“No, tell me,” she urged the elder woman who cackled.

Her old, weathered hands reached out to grab Belle’s. She examined Belle’s hands, running her fingers over the lines on her palm. She looked up to Belle and grinned.

“Curious little thing, aren’t you? The Sun and the Moon were lovers, you see. The Sun has only ever heard about the Moon’s beauty from whispers and stories, he’s never actually seen her before but he wanted to, oh, so desperately.”

Belle was so absorbed in the story, the older woman’s words sunk into her and she felt as though she was inside of the story.

“One night he caught sight of her, but only a slight peek. It was enough to drive him into insanity, he was madly in love with the Moon and wished to see her some more. They began to see more of each other, and though it was only for a little while, the Sun was convinced that he’d do anything to be with her forever. He would stop spinning around the Earth, he was willing to let the world sink into darkness so that he could be with her. But the Moon wouldn’t have it, my child. Right before she kissed him, she whispered to him... 

‘Don’t you ever give up your beauty and your light, not for anything. You love me and I love you, my dear Sun, and isn’t that enough? I cannot bear to see you lose yourself just so you may spend eternity with me, I am not as selfish as that,’ she had said to him firmly. He realized that she was right; they could still love each other despite only being together for seconds. It’s often said the love the Sun had for the Moon was the strongest type of love that’s ever existed, it is whole and pure and everlasting.”

Belle was so immersed that she didn’t realize the story had come to an end. She stood there, clutching the locket in her hands tightly. Rumple coughed and it brought her back to reality. She smiled at the old woman and handed the necklace back to her.

“Thank you for the story, I loved it!” she said, turning away.

“Don’t you want this, dear?” the woman called out.

“Oh, I do but I’m afraid I don’t have any money-I don’t even know what kind of currency you use here! I’m not from here, you see,” she explained.

“I know you’re not, dear. I’m offering this as a gift to you, please, take it,” the woman whispered, urging her to take the necklace.

Belle looked at Rumple but he did not say anything. She smiled as she took the necklace, thanking her over and over for it. The old woman giggled before turning to Rumple.

“You take care of your lady now, you hear me, Rumplestiltskin?” she commanded and he nodded along seriously.

She laughed again before disappearing back into the shop. Belle and Rumple stood there, and only then did the thought occur to him-

“How did she know my name?” he yelled, stepping into the shop. Belle followed but to their astonishment, it vanished without a trace. There was now an empty spot where the shop had been. 

Belle was puzzled, what on earth was happening? Had it really happened or did they just imagine the whole thing? She looked down to see she still had the necklace, along with the locket attached to it.

“Let’s get out of here, Belle,” Rumple said and she couldn’t agree more. 

Hades had sent them here for a reason, and knowing just how much he despised her and Rumple, it wouldn’t be anything good. For all she knew, this could be a trap he set for the two of them.

They made their way past blurred faces, determined to get out of the village. Hades’ deal was Rumple’s soul in exchange for setting three other souls free and right now they had no idea where they were or how they were going to do it. They needed to get to a quiet place, away from all the hype and noise, so they could think clearly.

She heard someone yelling behind them and tried to ignore it but it didn’t stop. It followed them throughout the crowd and Belle was only getting more irritated by the minute. 

“Malcolm! Malcolm!”

Someone pushed Belle aside and she watched as a woman ran up to Rumple and tapped him on the shoulder. 

“Malcolm! It’s me-”

Rumple turned and she realized that she had gotten him mixed up with someone else. Belle felt sorry for her when Rumple threw a nasty expression to the poor woman. The woman quickly moved away, apologizing as she did.

“I’m s-sorry…I thought you were someone else,” she was saying. Belle shook her head at Rumple when it looked like he was going to say something (he was probably going to insult her eyesight, she figured) to her.

“It’s alright, who were you looking for?” Belle came to the rescue, patting the woman on the back gently. She seemed to be in a trance, she was still staring at Rumple with wide eyes. 

“You’re frightening her!” Belle hissed but Rumple shrugged.

“I didn’t even say anything, Belle,” he argued.

“No, it’s not that, really...You just-you look like someone I know,” the woman whispered.

“That’s quite alright. You made a mistake, don’t worry about it,” Belle comforted the woman who was quite shaken up. Rumple snorted, turning away from them, and stuffed his hands into his pockets.

“I’m Belle…and you are?” 

“Myra. My name’s Myra,” the woman replied.

“So, who did you mistake him for?” Belle asked cheerfully, eager for any form of company she could get. Making a friend in this place could surely help them, perhaps Myra would tell them where they were or who that mysterious woman back at the market was.

“My husband. I’ve been looking for him and I thought that that man was him and oh I feel so silly! I’m so sorry!” Myra apologized again and Belle waved it off.

“Who’s your husband?” Belle asked, hoping she didn’t sound too nosy. 

“His name was Malcolm…”

Belle noticed Myra was twiddling with a ring on her finger, turning it round like Rumple did whenever he got nervous. She had a basket in one hand, and it was full of straw. She glanced up at Myra who was now talking to her about the marketplace but Belle was distracted by the woman’s face. She looked so familiar…

“Tell me, what does Malcolm look like?” she asked.

Rumple was now staring at her, apparently he was finally interested in the conversation.

“He’s around that man’s height, same hair, they look similar from behind…which is why I mistook him for my husband in the first place.”

“Your husband…he doesn’t happen to be a gambler, does he?” 

Myra nodded and Belle gasped loudly. Rumple ran to her, snarling at Myra.

“What did you do to her?” he growled, reaching for Belle.

“No-nothing! I didn’t do anything-”

“I’m alright!” Belle shouted and Rumple stepped away. 

Both Rumple and Myra were now staring at her, and she couldn’t help but laugh. How had they not recognized themselves yet? She’d always thought that Rumple was cleverer than anyone she’d met, but he was sometimes oblivious to even the most obvious of things.

“You know Malcolm,” she pointed out to Rumple.

“What?” he asked.

“What?” Myra repeated.

“Y-you don’t mean Pan, do you?” Rumple asked, his tone was ridiculing the motion that Belle was right.

“Yes, I mean him. His real name is Malcolm, isn’t it?” Belle was getting tired now. 

“How do you know him?” Myra asked.

“He’s my father.”

Belle waited for excited yells and screams but none of that happened. Instead, Myra and Rumple looked even more confused than they had before. Belle groaned, throwing her hands in the air.

“She’s your mother, Rumplestiltskin!”


	23. Chapter 23

Rumplestiltskin took a few steps back, refusing to hear what Belle was saying. His mother? That wasn’t right…it couldn’t be…

But there were a lot of coincidences, too many, in fact. What were the odds that her husband's name was Malcolm, and he was a gambler just like his own father? Not to mention the fact the woman claimed that he seemed to look similar to the man she was looking for.

“Let’s go, Belle,” he murmured, turning away from them.

“What?” Belle sounded surprised.

Belle did not understand, how could she? He had never told her about his mother, how she had abandoned him at birth, leaving him at the hands of a gambler and a cheat who threw his life and money away. Rumplestiltskin had never told Belle how his mother had handed him over to Malcolm and then took off, never bothering once to even look for him.

The woman who stood before him now, Myra, seemed nothing like how he had imagined his mother to look like. For all he knew, this was just Hades' sick sense of humor. Maybe the damned God of the Underworld was doing this to exploit his weaknesses to make him lose the game. He cursed Hades, hoping all of the Underworld heard it.

He walked first, hoping Belle would follow.

“Rumplestiltskin.”

The voice was soft, and all too familiar. He froze there, and suddenly he felt like he was an infant. He saw soft, brown eyes staring at him, there was a soft lullaby that escaped a woman’s lips, and she leaned to kiss him on the nose. It tickled...

“Is that your name?” Myra asked.

“Yes, it is! Rumple, she knows your name-it has to be your mother!” Belle sounded so happy and he didn’t know why.

“Of course she knows my name, Belle. Who doesn’t know the Dark One’s name?”

“Dark One? You-?” 

He wanted to clap his hands, praise Myra for her wonderful acting and tell her it was of no use. She was doing this to get a deal out of him, that had to be it, for who else would even want to admit being his mother?

“I’m not the Dark One anymore, dearie. Sorry to disappoint you but I can’t offer you any deals. Belle, please, let’s get out of here.”

But Belle wouldn’t move. She was confident that the woman before her was his mother.

“Why, son? Why is it so hard for you to believe that I am your mother?” she sounded hurt, she was clutching the basket so hard that her hand turned red.

“Answer me this then, if you are who you say you are…why’d you do it?”

Rumplestiltskin could not help how cruel he sounded, he wanted to get to the bottom of this. Her answer would hurt, if she was his real mother, but he was ready. This was not the first time someone had rejected him, and left him abandoned. He'd heard all of the excuses people had given him; his father's youth had been more important than his son, Cora had prioritized her power over her love for him and Milah...she had picked love over his family. After everything, he was sure his mother's reason for leaving him would not sting as badly as the rest.

“Why I did what, son?”

“Don’t call me that.” 

She flinched, as though she was afraid he was going to strike her. He laughed nastily, glancing towards Belle who remained mute in all this. She had stopped him from speaking out earlier, so why wasn’t she doing it now? Was she also hoping to hear an answer from Myra?

“Tell me why you left me all those years ago. You gave birth to me and that was it, you were gone forever. Why didn’t you stay?” 

He sounded childish, pathetic even. Rumplestiltskin loathed himself for feeling weak like this. 

“What are you talking about? Rumple, I didn’t leave y-”

“-LIAR!”

He hadn’t seen Belle sneak her way around them, until she was behind him, gripping his shoulders. Her touch was the only thing keeping him level-headed, or else he would’ve snapped.

“Rumple, please, it’s okay…I’m sure she has an explanation, right Myra?” 

Myra stepped closer towards him, her big brown eyes were full of tears, and it felt like he was staring back at a reflection of himself. He could see a bit of himself in her, he had taken after her eyes and the curve of her face.

“Rumple, I didn’t leave you, son. I-I died.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” 

“I was sick, Rumple, when I’d gotten pregnant…Malcolm-he-he did the best he could to find a cure for my ailment but there was none. He spent every last dime we had on medicine until we went completely broke. Somehow I’d managed to give birth to you but after that, my condition grew worse until I…”

“Died.” Belle finished.

Rumplestiltskin felt as though someone had shot him in the chest, and he felt as though he might throw up. The horrible feeling in his chest would not go away, and neither would the woman standing before him. He closed his eyes and wished with all his might that she was just a figment of his imagination, that his days spent locked up in Hades' cell had finally driven him to the point of madness. But she was still there when his eyes fluttered open, as real as ever.

“Malcolm didn’t tell you?” Myra asked softly.

He shook his head. Knowing Belle was next to him was the only thing keeping him rooted, or else he might have collapsed.

“He said you ran off with his money and left me in his care. He hated me.”

This was not entirely true because Rumplestiltskin could still remember all of the good memories he had shared with his father before. But Malcolm had admitted his anger towards him, how he had been the reason his father could never live in peace. His confession about how Rumplestiltskin had meant nothing but trouble to him would haunt him forever. Because of that, he had never forgiven his father fully, and his name would always leave a bitter taste in his mouth afterwards. 

“No, he hated me, Rumple. I was the reason he became the man that he was…he forgot what it felt like to be loved, that’s all,” Myra murmured.

He sneered at her. She was defending his father now? It was easy for her to say so, wasn’t it? She hadn’t been the one Malcolm had left abandoned one too many times, she hadn’t seen the damn fool coming home each night, half-dead because he’d been caught cheating and was beaten an inch to death as punishment. She hadn’t been there when he, just a little boy then, had to stitch his father up because there wasn’t anyone else to do it. She hadn’t witnessed any of it so how could she have the right to defend him?

“Can you forgive me, son?”

She had surprised him, and he was caught off guard.

“For what?”

“Everything.”

And with that, she flung the basket and threw herself on him. She wrapped her arms around his back, and refused to let go. He turned to Belle for help but she was smiling, bending down to pick up the fallen basket. He noticed that a couple of straws had fallen out from it. She was a spinner too, he realized. At least he had an explanation as to where his talent at spinning straw had come from. And to think the spinsters who had taken him thought it was a natural gift, an ability not many people had. He snorted, wondering what the two women would think of him now and suddenly felt that he missed them. They had been the closest thing to being a parent figure in his life and they had always been there for him when he needed them most.

He stood there, motionless, until his mother let go of him. She brushed away her tears and smiled sadly when Belle handed the basket back to her. 

“I’m sorry dear,” Myra said but Belle wouldn’t have it.

“It’s alright, it really is no matter.”

Rumplestiltskin gave Belle a soft smile. He was not much of a believer in anything, but his faith in Belle had never faltered. She was his reminder that despite all the evil in the world, there was also beauty, kindness and good left in it and it all came in the form of her name. What would he do without her?

“So, why don’t we walk you back home?” 

He looked on as his wife latched her arm around his mother’s, and began to lead her away, chatting animatedly as if this was a perfectly normal thing. Rumplestiltskin had not moved, his eyes were glued on the women in front of him, wondering if he could be simply dreaming all of this. He could not shake away the horrid thought that perhaps this was just a dream and that he would wake up in that small cell Hades had put him in. It seemed unreal, never in a million years would he have ever expected to meet his mother, to hear her side of the story. He felt regret now, regret that he’d spent all of his childhood hating the very thought of his mother and his adulthood forgetting that she even existed. 

She died. She hadn’t chosen to leave him. It wasn’t her fault. It wasn’t anyone’s fault.

Except his father’s.

He felt stupid, that something that had happened centuries ago was still prickling at him, tearing him up on the inside. Rumplestiltskin remembered how often he had sat by the small window in the spinsters’ home, waiting for someone to come and save him. No one had of course, and in time he learned that no one ever would. Except-

“Hurry along, Rumple!”

Belle. He caught up to them, lingering behind because he was afraid Myra would ask him something, anything about his life. He was not ready for the mother-son reconciliation, and he wasn’t sure he’d ever be ready for it. Belle, on the other hand, was not holding anything back. 

“So, you two are-?” he heard his mother ask, and saw Belle blush. She glanced behind to see if he was listening in but he turned away just in time. 

“We’re together, yeah,” she whispered and Rumple grinned like a fool. 

“How far along are you?” Myra continued, pausing only to take a slight breath as they made their way uphill, the market miles away from them.

“Six months now,” there was a little weariness behind her voice when Belle said it and Rumplestiltskin hadn’t been the only one who’d caught it.

“You sound tired, dear,” Myra said, patting Belle’s hand.

“I am and please, call me Belle.”

“The house is just here, why don’t you both come in and get some rest?” Myra offered but Rumplestiltskin stepped in quickly.

“No, we can’t do that. We need to get out of this place and it’s getting late-”

“-Rumple, please, just for a little while?” Belle’s voice was small, almost pleading and he fell for it. He saw her flash a triumphant smile at Myra and couldn't help but shake his head, amused that he was so easy to fool. All she had to do was ask, and he would give her whatever it was she asked for. She had him at her fingertips and he did not regret it one bit.

Myra pushed the door to a little hut open and invited them inside. It was a small space, but it looked cozy. Rumplestiltskin entered the room and he was immediately hit with flashes of light. His knees gave in, he heard Belle yell his name and then he was in the room again, except everything was bigger. The furniture was taller than it had been earlier, the ceiling was quite high when moments ago his head was only an inch away from it. How strange, he thought and then he saw the man in the corner.

“Don’t just stand there, Rumple, search for anything useful we could use-hurry!”

Malcolm. It was his father, he looked like his real self, there was no Pan. Not yet, anyways. Rumplestiltskin looked down at his hands and saw that they were small, almost childlike. He caught sight of his reflection from a glass vase and gasped. He was his younger self again, and Belle and Myra were nowhere to be seen.

Malcolm stumbled around the room, throwing everything he could find into a sack, all the while murmuring something under his breath. He kept looking out the window and cursed when he heard someone banging on the door. He put a finger against his lips, motioning to Rumplestiltskin to be quiet. The two of them stood very still, waiting for the noise to stop. There was a silence- but only momentarily. Malcolm crouched down low, and grabbed him by the shoulders.

“Listen to me, son, there are people who are after me and they won’t stop until they find us. Its just a matter of time before they get someone to break that door down and if they catch us, we won’t get out of this alive. When I give you the signal, you’re going to run as fast as you can, you hear me? I’ll meet you by the meadow in the woods if I make it, Rumple, but if I don’t…you leave this village and don't look back. Can you do that, son?”

Rumplestiltskin was speechless, he could only nod. He hadn’t realized that he was clutching on to his father, his nails digging into the man’s skin. Malcolm briefly pulled him into an embrace and kissed him on the forehead.

“But this is our home, Papa.”

He did not understand how he could be speaking, his mouth remained closed but he could hear his voice echoing around the room.

“We can leave this behind us, Rumple…we can find a new home. I need you to trust me, can you do that?”

He felt his head move to nod quickly and then Malcolm released him. The banging noise had returned, this time there were men shouting from the outside, threatening to break it down. His father stood behind the door, counting down slowly.

Rumplestiltskin held his breath when his father raised his fists, he had counted to three. The door burst open as large, thuggish men poured in, screaming and yelling about not paying their dues.

“Go!” his father screamed and he woke up.

He felt something warm-

“Rumple! Rumple!” 

Belle’s hands were on his face, her voice was guiding him back, and he was back as himself in the little hut. He saw Belle and then Myra, their pale faces frightened him so.

“I’m fine, Belle,” he said as he sat upright. He must have fallen to the floor.

“What happened? You just fell and blacked out-I didn’t know what to think,” Belle said, pulling him into a hug. He exhaled, taking in her warmth greedily. They were like that for a while and had forgotten that they weren’t entirely alone in this moment of intimacy.

“I remember this place now, Belle…this was our home before. We had to leave because some men were after us.”

“Just a clever imitation of home, I’m afraid. The real one is probably long gone by now,” Myra said.

“So where is this place exactly?” Belle asked.

“It’s…I can’t quite explain it. This is a place for anyone who died before it was their time. And after I died, when I came to this world, it took form of the one place that I knew the most; home.”

“But that doesn’t explain why Hades would send us here, though.”

Rumplestiltskin could tell Belle was processing everything, trying to figure out what Hades was up to. It couldn’t have been a coincidence that the first place he sent them to is where he met his mother, could it?

“What’s all this about Hades?” Myra asked as she settled down onto a small mattress, her hands pulling away at a bunch of straws piled up next to her. He watched as she began to tear them up, her nervousness was obvious.

“We’re not really from here, Myra,” Belle confessed.

“So you’re not…dead?” Myra asked, looking up at the two of them.

“I am. She isn’t.”

Rumplestiltskin’s voice ran through her like a jolt, and she seemed pleased that he was finally talking to her in a civilized manner. 

“What happened?” 

“It’s a long story and I don’t think we have time to explain any of it.” 

Myra looked disappointed, turning her attention to the straws again.

“Where do you want me to start?” Belle offered.

“Belle, we have to go,” he began.

“My legs are killing me still and you were just out cold, Rumple, you need some rest. And besides, its already dark outside, surely we can spend a night here?” this time she looked at Myra who was smiling.

“Of course you can, dear! You can stay here as long as you like.”

Rumplestiltskin thought for a moment. She’s right, he thought, the sun had already set and it wouldn’t be safe to travel at night. And some sleep would help both of them, they would feel fresher in the morning and perhaps they might be able to hatch a plan to beat Hades. He leaned back, closing his eyes. His response meant he agreed with her, and she laughed as she pecked him on his cheek before going to sit by Myra. He listened intently, hoping she wouldn’t notice him spying on her conversation with his mother.

“So, tell me, what do you want to know? Belle asked.

“Everything and spare no details, dear.”

Belle laughed.

“Well, the first time we met was during the Ogre Wars…”


	24. Chapter 24

Rumplestiltskin woke up to the sound of Belle singing, something he’d never thought he'd hear again. Rubbing his eyes, he sat up and looked around. Belle was standing by the window, humming an old song, the sunlight caught her in her purest form. The necklace the strange woman from the marketplace had given her hung on her neck, glinting in the light. She looked so beautiful that he did not want to disturb her.

Instead, he simply watched as she began to talk to her belly, whispering sweet words to their unborn child. He felt giddy, it was a strange happiness he felt when he thought about the baby. It was his, and hers. It was theirs.

She caught him staring at her and turned red. 

“You’re awake,” she said, haughtily.

“As are you,” he mumbled in response.

He got up to his feet and glided over to her in one smooth move, it was so ridiculous that they laughed, and for a moment it felt perfect. He cupped her face as she sighed his name, his fingers tracing the outline of her lips. Her stomach was preventing them from fully embracing but he didn’t mind. All he wanted to do was reach in just a little closer and kiss her but he wasn’t so sure of it. In the end he decided to just drink in the sight of her, it was enough for him.

“How’s the baby?” he cooed.

“Hmmm, there's been kicks all morning-I think the baby can't wait to get out…this one is going to be quite the adventurer,” she said with a smile.

“Like its mama.”

“And papa,” she pointed out, poking him in the chest playfully.

“Hopefully not,” Rumplestiltskin mumbled as his hand traveled down to her belly, and he gently massaged the bump. He waited with bated breath, hoping the baby would kick again, giving him a reminder of the family he might soon have…if they made it out of this maze like place Hades had set them in.

“Where is she?” his tone was still soft, and she moved her head towards the direction of the back door of the hut.

“Are you going to talk to her?”

“Should I?” he asked, and she went on her toes to give him a kiss on his cheek. There was his answer, Rumplestiltskin thought, as he grinned and pulled away from her. He was at the door when Belle spoke again.

“You know, you should cherish this moment while you still can, Rumple. Not everyone gets the chance to meet their mothers in the afterlife, you know.”

With that in mind, he exited the house and saw the backyard was much bigger than the house itself. It was a large open land, the grass had been neatly trimmed and in a corner next to the hut sat his mother. She was turning away at the spinning wheel, her mind was probably lost to the world, just like him when he sat at the wheel. He felt his heart squirm a little at the thought of his mother and him having similar tastes and hobbies.

“You know, there was a time when Kings would ask me to spin for them,” he said, startling the poor woman.

He had caught her in surprise, and she had cut her hand on the spindle. He quickly mumbled an apology as he sat down next to her on a little stool, and examined the gash.

“It’s alright, it’s just a scratch. I can wrap it up-”

She pulled at the scarf on her head and it came undone, her hair dropping down to her shoulders. With a soft smile, she moved to wrap it around her hand when he stopped her.

“Let me…please,” he offered.

He took the scarf from her, and began to carefully wind it around her hand.

“You spun for Kings?” she asked.

“Yeah, that was before I went off to fight in the war…”

He had no idea why he was telling her all of this, maybe a part of him wanted to share his terrible life with her so she could see just what kind of man her son really was. Or maybe he just wanted her to know what she had missed out on.

“Belle mentioned it in passing last night when we…talked.”

He searched her eyes to see if there was shame or disappointment in her eyes but all he saw was sadness. He tightened the cloth before releasing her hand from his grasp. He did not know how much Belle had given away to her, he wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

“She said you came home injured. What happened?”

Belle hadn’t told her anything, then. Perhaps he could just hide away his terrible act of cowardice, he did not want her to look at him with disgust like everyone else had when they learned the truth. 

“I ran. I didn’t fight-I was too scared…I didn’t want to die.”

The words slipped out of his mouth, and he felt that he did not care that his mother was hearing this. He couldn’t meet her gaze, and with burning cheeks he looked away once more. Her hand crept up to his, and it stayed there.

“I broke my own leg so that I wouldn’t have had to fight.”

“There’s nothing to be ashamed of, son. Fear is something none of us can run away from after all,” she said.

Rumplestiltskin listened to her words, it took a long time to reach him. His mother was not mad at him for being a coward?

What was wrong with this woman? He just told her how he had injured himself on purpose to avoid fighting in the war and she did not seem to be mad about it. Belle hadn’t judged him but she was different, he’d figured. She loved him, so she had no choice but to accept him as who he was but his mother needn’t do that. Rumplestiltskin had expected his mother to recoil, and spit at him for being a disgrace.

“You don’t-care?” Rumplestiltskin asked, amazed.

“Of course not, my boy. I would’ve done the same thing-Can you imagine, fighting an Ogre? There was no way you would’ve survived!”

“But I ran from the fight! I was a coward-surely you realize that? The other soldiers all died because I wasn‘t there to help!” He didn’t know why he was arguing with her when she was clearly supporting him.

“Goodness gracious, Rumple, surely you don’t blame yourself for the deaths of the other men?”

His silence was enough of an answer for her.

“Listen to me, you silly boy, those men would’ve died even if you had gone to fight. Had you fought, you would’ve lost your life too, and what use would that have been?”

Boy? She was calling him a boy? He had hundreds of years on this woman and she was calling him a boy? 

But he felt like a burden had been lifted from his shoulders. This was all he had wanted, someone to say that he had been wrong to run but that there wasn’t anything bad about doing it. She understood why he did it, and she accepted it. 

“Belle also said you…had a son? She also said you didn't fight in the war because you didn't want to see him fatherless.”

Rumplestiltskin felt his throat dry up, and found that he couldn’t speak. He merely nodded to her.

“What was his name?”

“B-Baelfire. His name was Baelfire,” he said shakily.

“That’s a good, strong name. Baelfire…what was he like?”

“You would’ve loved him, everyone did. He was so beautiful and kind and he was never afraid of anything. He was nothing like me. Baelfire was-” Rumplestiltskin swallowed, “he was the best thing that ever happened to me.”

“What happened to him?”

“I lost him. The minute I turned into the Dark One was when I lost everything. I forgot who I was, and my power became more important to me than anything else. I didn’t know this then but I think the moment my name appeared on the dagger, Baelfire was already gone to me.”

“The Dark One? Is it a curse?”

He felt it odd that she had no idea what the Dark One was, or the powers the Dark One wielded. 

“In a way, yes,” he answered.

That was the easiest explanation possible and he felt it would get too complicated to delve into its history. Besides, he doubted she’d be all that interested in that particular piece of conversation.

“Rumple…” her voice was low, and it scared him a little.

“Yes?” 

“Did Malcolm-did he-was he a bad father?” Myra asked, her voice cracking.

Rumplestiltskin’s first instinct was to comfort her, but he held back. 

“He took care of me for a while, he gambled a lot and spent most of his winnings on food to feed our bellies. Malcolm was just tired of it all, he wanted to get away from me because I was holding him back from the life he really wanted. He couldn’t run around as freely as he wanted to, not while he still had to keep an eye out for me. I guess one day he snapped and well, here we are,” he attempted to play it off as a joke but Myra saw through it.

“I’m so sorry, son…if I’d been there, things might have been different.”

But she hadn’t been there, he wanted to say. The past was in the past, though it still hurt.

“Rumple?”

He heard Belle’s voice coming from inside the house and he smiled.

“I suppose its time to leave, now,” he murmured, distracted by the wheel. His fingers were itching to go at it, wondering if he could still turn the straw into gold. They had spent a day here and still had no idea what they were supposed to do. If they stayed any longer, he wasn’t sure he would want to leave.

“I’ll walk you both back to the woods, if you’d like,” Myra offered and Rumplestiltskin nodded automatically. He had found himself rather eager to be in her company all of a sudden and he was sure it was because he would miss her when they left. 

It felt ridiculous that he thought he would miss her when he had only known her for a day. Hell, just yesterday he was ready to rip her head off but now that he saw who she really was, he realized that she was no different from him. She was exactly the kind of mother he had always wished for all those lonely nights as a child but sadly, it was a wish that was granted hundreds of years later than he’d hoped for.

Belle came out just then, and Rumplestiltskin jumped to his feet, half-running to give her a hand. Belle gave him a smirk as she whispered something to him about bonding with his mother and he responded with a shrug of his shoulders. They glanced over to her and she waved, and Rumplestiltskin waved back. He concluded that this was what it felt like to be a child, or as she’d put it, a boy again.

“You both ready to go?” she shouted.

“I do so wish that we could just stay here,” Belle mused, her hand twirling her hair so wonderfully it looked like magic to him.

He didn’t say it, but he could not agree more. He could see himself in this little house on the hill, living forever with his mother, his wife and child. Rumplestiltskin had always envisioned his happy ending to look something like this, spending the rest of his days with the people he loved. It seemed so close, his happy ending, like he could almost grasp it but never could.

“You both don’t belong here, you need to go back to your home, wherever that is.”

She was firm in her response. Belle's wish to stay here was tempting but Rumplestiltskin knew it wasn't the right thing to do. They belonged in the world of the living, he would not see his child spend its eternity here.

Myra walked back to the house, with Rumplestiltskin and Belle dawdling behind her. They watched as she wrapped another scarf around her head, and Belle raised an eyebrow at the bloodstain on her hand. 

“There was an accident,” Rumplestiltskin mumbled.

“I can see that…”

“Come along now, dears,” the woman called, making sure they were outside before locking the door behind her. She then stood there for a few minutes, with her head on the wooden door. She was muttering something under her breath, shaking lightly.

“What’s wrong?” Rumplestiltskin asked.

Myra quickly wiped her eyes, and laughed forcibly, waving it away. He was going to ask if she was alright but she walked past him before he could. The two of them hung back, discussing her odd behavior in low, hushed voices.

“So, what did you two talk about?” Belle swiftly changed the subject, her hand toying with the locket on her neck.

“You know…things,” he said and to his bemusement, Belle chuckled.

“What’s so funny, Belle?”

“Nothing.” she said giggling, as if she were sharing a private joke with herself.

“So, this other world where you come from, what’s it like?” Myra asked aloud.

“Oh, it’s beautiful, Myra! There are so many beautiful places to see, its almost magical in a way,” Belle answered her in a dreamy voice.

Rumplestiltskin felt sorrow then, she seemed to be so excited over the prospect of seeing the world and she never had the chance to. He knew that she had always wanted to leave Storybrooke but the circumstances had never been in her favor. He had been so determined to take her away from that little town and over to New York, where they could have started a fresh life together away from all the chaos and havoc. But his thirst for power had seen the end to that plan, much like it had countless times over.

“Have you seen everything?” his mother asked, this time looking to the two of them for an answer. She must have noticed that he had drifted from the conversation and was doing her hardest to steer him back in.

“Well, Rumple has been to a lot of realms but I haven’t…” Belle’s voice trailed away.

“Not yet but I promise, Belle, when we get out of here, I’ll take you anywhere you want.”

And he meant it. He had damned away all of his promises to her, but this was a new him. Rumplestiltskin felt like he had been born anew, and he would not throw away his shot with her, not for anything in the world. If going around this world alone was not enough, he would find a way to open a portal to another realm as long as it kept her happy.

She smiled but didn’t say anything more.

He hadn’t realized but they had now reached the market, the crowd was back and it was the same blur of faces they had seen the day before. Rumplestiltskin eyed Belle, and knew she was looking around for the woman who had given her the necklace, presumably to thank her yet again for the wonderful gift. He on the other hand, wanted to ask her how it was she knew his name when they had never introduced themselves to her.

“Oh, look here, Rumple!” Myra exclaimed, as she pointed to a stall that had swords on display. She took one, barely managing to lift it and handed it to him. Rumplestiltskin grasped it in his hand, feeling rather high and mighty. 

“You look so handsome with it,” his mother praised and he couldn’t help but beam slightly. Belle was holding back her laughter behind him but he paid no mind to her. He swung the sword, letting it fly out of his hand and then catching it again. Myra was smiling and clapping, and he bowed mockingly.

“You know, Myra, I once managed to pull Excalibur from the stone,” he bragged, enjoying the attention his mother was giving him.

“Excalibur?” Myra asked.

“Yes, it’s a sword that Merlin had trapped inside a stone. Only the worthy would be allowed to wield it and I happened to be one of them.”

He knew just how much of a pompous prick he sounded like, but he couldn’t help it. It wasn’t everyday that he could get the chance to tell someone about his list of achievements, which was quite little to be honest. Myra gaped at him in awe while Belle was in fits at his childish behavior. He placed the sword back when the man behind the stall glared at him.

“What on earth are you laughing at?” he asked with arms crossed.

She shook her head, covering her hands behind her mouth. He turned away from her but he was sure he heard her say ‘Mama’s boy’ behind his back but he was in a much too good of a mood to pick a fight with her. He was just trying to bond with his mother, and now that they would depart from each other soon he wanted to remember her like this. 

“You didn’t tell her about the time you were a Knight, Rumplestiltskin! Did you know, Myra, that he slayed Ogres and saved villagers from danger?” Belle asked, pretending to swoon.

“My son, the hero,” Myra said rather proudly. Rumplestiltskin stuck his tongue out at Belle, who returned the gesture. 

“Myra, before we met, I came across this little shop around here-there was a woman and she gave me this necklace. Do you know who she might’ve been?” Belle asked, when they had finally calmed down.

“Where did you say that shop was, dear?”

Myra looked at the strange locket before glancing over to where Belle and him had met the old woman before. She tilted her head, most likely trying to remember if she knew about the shop’s existence.

“I don’t think I’ve seen any shop or woman here, Belle. Are you sure you saw her here? In that exact spot?”

“Yes, I’m sure. Rumple, you saw it too, didn’t you?” Belle asked him rather worriedly and he bobbed his head.

“Perhaps she was just another one of those travelers, sometimes they come in and set up their little shops here to sell off items and they don't stay so long. Yes, that must be it, she must have left after a day,” Myra explained.

Her explanation seemed to make sense, and they decided not to press more on it. The rest of the journey was filled with laughter, as Belle recounted all of the embarrassing things that he had done and how slow he had been to accept that he was in love with her. Every now and then, Rumplestiltskin would butt into the middle of the story and give his version of events, most of them were lies but he didn't think they minded it.

The conversation fell silent when they finally arrived at the meadow. Rumplestiltskin braced himself for what was coming; it was time to say goodbye. None of them spoke, they all stared at the trees around them, not quite daring to speak what was on all of their minds.

When it seemed like an hour had passed, Myra stepped in front of them. She simply held her hands out to the two of them and they took it without question. She kissed the back of their hands, crying all the while. Rumplestiltskin squeezed her hand and offered her a watery smile.

“Here, I want you to have this,” she said through her tears as she placed something into Belle’s hand. Belle opened it and gasped.

There was a ring, and it was the prettiest thing Rumplestiltskin had ever seen. There was a beautiful stone in the middle, and covering the exterior of it were strange markings and there was just something about it that drew them in.

“My mother gave it to me when I was around your age, Belle. She told me to hold on to it, and that it had been passed down through generations. Every mark on the stone holds a story, a secret that is shared only between a husband and a wife. And I’m giving it to you now, in hopes that you will have a story and a secret to tell someday.”

“Myra, you need this-”

“I’m afraid I don’t, dear. Not anymore.”

Rumplestiltskin scrutinized her face, there was something she was hiding from them.

“Something’s wrong.” he stated and she only smiled.

“Belle said that the only way the two of you could get out of here was if you set three souls free. I know how,” she said.

“What?” Rumplestiltskin and Belle asked in unison.

“I’ve told you before what this place was, haven’t I? This is where people go when they have unresolved issues with life, their death had stopped their purpose in life and until they find a way to resolve it, their souls will remain trapped in this state forever.”

Rumplestiltskin knew what she was hinting at but he couldn’t face the truth.

“So what does that have to do with you?” he asked roughly.

“I think you know-”

“-No. You tell me what that means.” Rumplestiltskin’s voice was gruff. Belle made a small noise, but made no move to stop him. He wished she would.

“I always thought my unfinished business was that I never got to be with Malcolm but now that you’re here, I see what I’ve been really waiting for. I’ve been waiting here for you, Rumple. You’re the reason why I can’t move on from this place, you are why I’ve lived in that hilltop for all these years in this place,” she said as she choked on a sob.

“Why?” he asked, his voice barely a whisper.

“Because I never had the chance to say I love you, son.”

His hands were digging into his thighs, as he forced his voice to sound calm.

“I never got to raise you, I never got to see you grow old, that was my sole purpose,” Myra said, coming closer towards him. 

He closed the gap between them, burying his head on her chest, letting his tears go free. She was whispering in his ear, telling him exactly what he had to do to set her soul free but he could not bear to do it. It was too hard, just like everything else in his life.

“I hated you for so long-”

“-it’s alright, son.”

“-I can’t let you go, not when I just found you.”

“You have to, Rumple. For her. For your child. They need you more than you need me. You’ve lived without me all your life-”

“Please, Mama, don’t let me go.”

She kissed him on his forehead, wailing.

“You take care of her now, son. Don’t you ever let go of her, not for anything, you hear me?”

Rumplestiltskin nodded, his eyes were so heavy.

“I love you, Rumple,” she whispered.

He wanted to fight, he wanted to scream and kick and rip everything around him. This was not fair, how could he let her go? He wanted to be selfish, he wanted to keep his mother by his side forever. He wanted to watch her grow old by his side, and care for her whenever she fell sick but they were only dreams and in the real world, there was no such thing. Reality was cruel and harsh, and it rarely showed mercy.

“I love you too,” he said.

There was a flash of light and he held on to her as hard as he could. Her hands slackened their grip on him and dropped to her side but still he didn’t budge. Her body burst into flames, her ashes scattering around them.

He dropped to the ground and thought he heard a woman screaming his name behind him. He looked down and saw the scarf his mother had tied around her head was now in his hand. Bringing it up to his chest, he broke down just like that.

“Rumple,” Belle sounded like she had been crying too. She stooped down to his level, and placed her head on his shoulder, her hand running over his back in smooth circles.

“She’s gone, Belle. She left me, she’s gone forever-”

“She’s in a better place now, Rumple.”

“I never got to say I was sorry.”

“It’s okay. I’m sure she knows.”

Rumplestiltskin and Belle sat there, in the middle of the meadow, the wet grass leaving dark stains on their clothes. And as everything around them grew dark, the only thing that flashed in Rumplestiltskin’s mind was his mother’s face. And she was smiling.


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the lack of update folks! I've been busy w/ stuff and anyways, hope you guys enjoy the chapter!! This one is split between the present time and a flashback of Belle's time spent in the Dark Castle with Rumplestiltskin :)

The first thing that Belle registered was the snow, and it was everywhere. She looked around the vast landscape and saw nothing but white mass covering the ground. The air was too cold, it bit into her skin and she was sure they would leave a mark. Belle firmly pulled her coat around her, her hands wrapped protectively around her stomach. Her eyes searched for any signs of life, her heart frantic that Rumple was nowhere to be found. She trudged forwards, hoping she would meet someone. Belle was trapped in the Underworld and the only person she knew was missing.

“Rumple!” she yelled, as the storm around her raged on. 

The last thing she remembered was Rumple on the ground, his mother’s soul had been set free and she had been there with him. There had been a bright, white light and the next thing she knew, she was standing here.

Around a mile away, she spotted something dark lying on the ground, almost half-buried in the snow. As she grew closer, she could see a pool of red staining the fresh snow and fear gripped her heart. She ran, with much difficulty, her shoes failing her immensely and she swore to herself that she’d never wear heels ever again. The figure was lying face down and she immediately recognized Rumple’s tattered coat. With trembling hands, she began to pull at him, trying to lift him up but the snow had him wedged in.

With a frustrated cry, she dropped to her knees, ignoring the pain she felt jolt through her body. Her hands began to dig, pushing away the snow until it was enough to free him. His face was pale, and there was a fresh cut on his head, and the blood wouldn’t stop. Belle brought him close to her chest, and began to shake him lightly.

“Rumple, please- I can’t- I don’t have magic to heal you…please,” she begged as she began to rub her hands over him, trying to keep him warm but she was too tired. She had used up most of her energy earlier and she was too tired.

She felt her hand slowly turn numb and her head began to droop. 

“We-we’re going to be o-okay,” she whispered before her mind was consumed by the darkness.  
***************************************************************************************************************************  
Rumplestiltskin was being awful again, Belle thought to herself as she closed her book. The damn wizard had locked himself up in his room for the past week, no doubt trying out one of his potions or spells. Belle wouldn’t have minded normally but she found herself rather lonely these days, thinking about her father and it made her feel quite miserable.  
Belle was desperate for company and if she could never see her friends or family again, she would just have to force Rumplestiltskin to sit with her and converse. She knew he would be in one of his terrible moods when he went too long without company either so she assumed she was doing him a favor as well.

She determinedly made her way up the winding staircase, cursing him under her breath for putting her through this rather tiresome climb. She reached the top and knocked gently on the wooden door, panting only slightly. There was no reply and she had not expected it. He would be in one of his trances, and he wouldn’t have heard her even if she’d stuck her foot through the door, and she was speaking from experience. Belle did not feel like giving up yet though, as she had climbed all this way and she did not want it all to have been for nothing.

“Rumplestiltskin, I know you’re in there! Stop skulking around and let me in!” she yelled, banging on the door now.

She could hear glasses clinking in there and thought she heard him talking to himself. He was probably complaining about her but she didn't care one bit. At least she’d gotten his attention now.

“I have your tea with me- at least take it off my hands! I came up here all the way and I’m so tired-“

Before she could finish her lie, the door swung open and the impish man was at the door looking rather haughty. Belle smiled and pushed her way past him, and he did not argue. She gasped when she saw the state of the room, there were strange marks inscribed on the walls and dark stains covered the floors.

“I hope I won’t be asked to clean this,” she muttered with a frown.

“Of course not. I know how to clean up my own mess.” He replied, closing the door behind him.

He eyed her curiously, his brows crossing as he extended his hands to her. She looked at him in confusion.

“My tea, where is it?” his voice was sharp.

“There isn’t one. I lied so you’d open the door,” she replied as she began to walk across the room to where he had his little lab set up. There were oddly-colored potions stacking the shelves, each emitting their own smell and color and she could not help but be drawn in to it. Rumplestiltskin simply gawked at her, following her around awkwardly.

“So, what have you been doing holed up in this room for a week? I assume it must be something rather special...”

He scrunched his nose, leaning in towards her. Belle held her breath, waiting for him to explain his latest creation. She really did love to hear him talk about magic, it was quite mesmerizing-

“You’re quite nosy, aren’t you?” he snapped and Belle jumped.

He giggled, clapping his hands like the silly creature that he was, obviously amused at her annoyance. She ignored him, reaching out to take one of the small vials on the table.

“What’s this do?”

He studied her for a moment, wondering if she really was genuinely interested in what he had to say.

“A travelling potion.”

“How does it work?” she asked some more. The dullness Belle had felt earlier began to dissipate as he engaged her in conversation. He must have noticed just how boring she’d been in the castle without his presence to overwhelm her.

“Easy, really. You tip it over your head and think of wherever it is you want to go.”

“Well, that’s not very interesting,” she mumbled, tapping at the liquid inside the vial. He grabbed it from her hand rather roughly, feigning an offended look.

“It’s not? And pray tell me, my little maid, why doesn’t this interest you in the slight?” Rumplestiltskin quizzed.

“You can already travel from one place to another-you have magic to do that…why make a potion?”

“Maybe I’m not making it for me,” he replied.

She was surprised at his answer. 

“So, who-?”

“-that’s really none of your concern, dearie.” He bit back.

Belle gazed at him for a moment; he was being secretive again and that meant it was bad news. He rarely told her of his fiendish plans because she would get upset and give him a scold so she assumed the potion was for another one of his deals.

“Does it work yet?” she attempted to change the subject, hoping he wasn’t too annoyed to send her away. 

She stalked to the window, and pulled apart the curtains so light could get through the dimly lit room. Rumplestiltskin flinched when the rays of sunlight hit him in the eyes.

“No, it’s still in the early stages, I’m afraid. I haven’t had the chance to test it out yet-“

Belle took a step towards him, and her dress got caught on a nail on the wooden floor. She screamed as she tumbled but Rumplestiltskin managed to catch her in time. He had been too distracted in not letting her fall that he hadn’t noticed the vial he’d been holding fall. She gasped, as the glass shattered onto the floor and the weird liquid oozed out beneath their feet. Belle looked back up at Rumplestiltskin in shock, but his eyes were closed shut. Smoke began to cloud her eyes, there was a trail of tiny lights surrounding them. In her daze, Belle blindly tried to catch it.

“Hold still, Belle.”

When Belle opened her eyes, she was standing in the middle of a blizzard. Rumplestiltskin was standing next to her, his arm around her waist in a protective manner. She looked around wildly, wondering where they’d gone to.

“Wh-where are we?” she asked, trembling.

“I don’t know-the potion…it isn’t stable-“

“Can’t you magic us out of here?” Belle yelled as the snow began to cover her, turning her skin blue.

“What-suddenly you approve of me using magic?”

Belle wanted to reach over and slap him at that moment. They could freeze to death and here he was, trying to irritate her. 

“Don’t play games, Rumplestiltskin! I’m freezing!”

“I can’t! The potion-it’s temporarily paralyzed me from using magic! Else, we would’ve been back home already!”

This was the end, then. Death would come for them, or just her. In a matter of hours, she would be turned into an ice block and there was nothing she could do to stop it. 

She felt him tug at her dress, beckoning her to follow. She did, and the two of them began to walk, not a single plan in mind, only hoping that someone would come to their aid. They arrived at a broken down hut, the roof had fallen in and the walls looked like they could barely hold but this was their only means of shelter from the snow. She went inside, brushing off the white dust with her teeth chattering uncontrollably.

Rumplestiltskin shrugged off his leather coat and threw it around her, and she accepted it wholeheartedly. 

“D-d-don’t y-you need it-t-too?” she asked.

“I may not have magic, Belle, but I’m still immortal. I can handle a little cold, don’t you worry your pretty little head about it.”

Belle nodded, and smiled at him.

“T-thank you.”

“No matter. You might want to stay alive…it would be rather tiresome to look for another maid. These days it is terribly difficult to find anyone who is willing to hand their daughter over to a monster in exchange for their kingdom to be rid of ogres, believe it or not-“

She pulled him into an embrace, and she heard him grunt. He muttered something under his breath but she ignored it. She settled down on a large log-no doubt a tree had crashed into the hut. She pointed to the space next to her, motioning for him to join her. He did so, though his face seemed to be burning from their last contact.

Belle observed Rumplestiltskin closely, and he shrunk under her gaze. No matter how hard he tried to play himself off as some kind of beast, she could always see through him. It was just a mask he wore to scare away anyone who came too close and most times, it worked. She took his hand gently and felt it was so cold.

“Y-you’re freezing!” she exclaimed. 

She had thought he wouldn’t have felt anything and yet here he was, almost as stone cold as she was. And he had given her his only source of warmth-

“It’ll pass,” he mumbled.

Belle put her arm around his back and brought his head close to hers, and he stared at her in shock.

“Stay close to me, we can both stay warm that way,” she explained.

At that, he wedged in closer to her, so close in fact that their faces were only inches away. She could feel his warm breath on her skin, and the air was so intoxicating.

“W-what if I don’t-what if I die?” she whispered.

She felt his hands on hers, and he moved his fingers in circles, massaging her stiff hands.

“You’re going to be okay, Belle. I won’t let anything happen to you, I promise.”  
****************************************************************************************************************  
There were sounds of boots on the fresh now and then voices. A few men were talking- no, arguing. They were talking about a…body? Was someone dead? There was a yell-someone was screaming near her. Belle felt someone loop their arms around her but she was far too tired to look.

And then there was nothing. 

Belle thought she heard someone humming a tune, it was a song she did not recognize but it was soothing. 

When she woke up, she was staring upwards at the roof of a house. She jolted, examining the room she was in. It looked a lot like Myra’s, except this one seemed much bigger.  
She heard voices coming from outside the room. Belle sneaked towards the door, trying to eavesdrop on the conversation but failed. She peeked out, and caught sight of a woman’s back. She was talking fast, in a hushed tone to someone else.

Belle slowly approached the woman, not sure if it was a friend or foe and stopped in her tracks.

“So then you came here? Why would Hades bring you back home?”

Belle gasped when she saw Rumple sitting across the woman, looking very much alive. The noise she made caught both their attention and Belle saw the woman’s face for the first time. There was something awfully familiar about her but she couldn’t place it.

Rumple squirmed uncomfortably in his seat, but the woman was all smiles as she stood up, offering Belle to take her seat. Belle returned the smile, waddling over to the seat and flashed Rumple a curious look. He did not respond, instead, he chose to shrug his shoulders and look away.

“You must be Belle…Rumple’s told me all about you. Please, make yourself feel at home, and I’m Milah by the way.”

Belle was struck in her seat for a minute. Milah? Rumple’s first wife- but it can’t be…can it?

She had always assumed Milah to be this nasty looking woman with a sharp tongue, but she saw now that her assumptions had been completely off the mark. Milah was beautiful, her hair dropping below her shoulders and her face was bright and carefree. Belle realized now she had seen her looks in Neal- how strange, she thought.

“M-Milah, you’re-?” she struggled to finish, hating herself for making the situation awkward.

“Yes, it’s her,” Rumple said quietly from his corner.

The two women turned to look at him and he shifted his gaze from them. 

“How are you feeling? It’s lucky the two of you survived that storm,” Milah continued and Belle was grateful for the change of topic.

“What happened to us? How did we get here?”

“The men from the village were out there in the blizzard, and by chance stumbled across you both. They brought you back here and I recognized Rumple…I had you taken here so I could look after you…”

“Thank you,” Belle whispered and Milah nodded once.

There was that awkward silence again.

“I’ve got to head out now-I’ll let you both catch up. Oh, and Rumple? Do try and finish cleaning that cut…it looks awful,” she added as she wrapped a shawl around her.

Rumple gave a stiff nod and without another word, Milah left, leaving them alone at last.

“Here, let me,” Belle offered after a while, reaching out to take a piece of cloth from his hand. He leaned forward so she could dab the wound with ease.

“I didn’t think we would’ve made it,” she said, quietly.

He did not say anything, but the look in his eyes told her he was listening. She stopped talking for a moment, her eyes on the large cut on his head. She wiped away at the dried blood around it as carefully as she could.

“Neither did I,” Rumple replied.

He winced when she accidentally pressed the cloth a little too hard against his skull. Belle pulled away quickly, tossing the cloth to the floor and crushed him in a tight hug. He was caught off guard, he made a little noise when she squeezed him.

“I thought I’d lost you again-I was so scared, Rumple.”

She felt his hands roaming her back, trying to comfort her in any way. She released her grip on him and let her head fall to his chest.

“I know, I know, I’m sorry, Belle.”

The two of them were like that for a while, it was an awkward position but Belle didn’t mind so long as she was close to him. He whispered sweet words into her ear, and it made her feel drowsy. She felt as though she’d never been this happy before, her heart had slowed down and her eyes were closing.

“I love you,” she whispered to him.

“I love you too.”


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, finally a new chapter! I've always wanted to write Milah's perspective on things and I really enjoyed writing this chapter and I hope you do too! :)

Milah walked as slowly as she could back to her house, hoping to give Rumplestiltskin and his wife some time to themselves. She laughed inwardly at the thought of Rumple even having a relationship with another woman, she had always thought him incapable of love when she had seen what he had turned into. 

The last time she had seen him was in that strange town-like place, and he was with the woman who had claimed to be Killian’s lover, but that had only been in passing. They had exchanged mere glances, and he had not stayed to chat. He had simply apologised for playing a hand in her death and she had accepted it. After all, it had been over a hundred years since that had happened.

She had been angry when she’d ended up here, furious even, but as time passed she learned that holding on to bitterness did not make her life any easier. Milah was shocked when she had found herself in the bed of the old home she had shared with Rumplestiltskin from a long time ago. She had wandered around aimlessly, noticing faces she had seen before. Most of them were children, they were the ones who had been sent off to fight in the Ogre Wars and they were mostly Bae's older friends. She had searched around for her son, for Baelfire, wondering if he too had ended up here and that perhaps the reason she was here was because of him. She looked all over and concluded that he was not here, that he was probably safe with Rumple.

But she had not seen Bae with him when he had boarded the Jolly Roger on the fateful day. She had figured that the magic bean Rumplestiltskin was after probably had something to do with the absence of their son. She regretted not having asked him about their boy, part of his anger must have been for that.

Milah had reached her house now, and with three knocks she entered, taking a deep breath first. She spotted Rumplestiltskin and his wife curled up against him and felt a pang in her chest. She was suddenly drowning in memories of her past life, thinking about the good times she had shared with him before he had enlisted to fight in the Ogre Wars. He had been nothing but charming, a young spinner who was determined to prove his bravery and she had been the fair maiden who had fallen deeply in love with him. They had gotten married months after he courted her and they had been content with each other.

They had spent most of their time together, he had been the one who taught her how to spin and at nights they talked about having a family. Of course, all of that went to hell when he went off to fight in the war. She had gotten pregnant, and had no idea how to tell him the news. She knew if he found out about the pregnancy, he would throw everything away and come back to her. Milah had wanted it more than anything, to have him next to her while she was bearing his child, but she knew it would kill him to not fight. It had been his only dream, ever since he was a child he’d been desperate to prove to everyone that he was not a coward like his father. It was ironic that it was by his own choice that he had turned into the one thing he had despised so.

Milah’s life after that was dim and dark, and she had tried so hard to put it behind her. The memories were bitter and ugly, and she did not want to remember how cruel she had been to him. She had often wondered how a man could be so patient with a wife so scornful, but he had put up with her because of their son. The only reason Milah herself stayed as long as she did was because she could not bear the thought of leaving Baelfire.

After she’d gone away with Killian, her life had improved immensely. For the first time in years, she learned to smile again. Her heart began to beat, she finally understood what it meant to love someone timelessly. The Jolly Roger became her new home, and the rest of the crew warmed up to her instantly. But she realized that she would never truly be happy unless she had Bae by her side again. One night, she confessed to Killian that she missed her son and he had suggested that they visit him back home.

She refused at first, mostly because she did not think she could face Rumplestiltskin again. He had probably assumed that she had died, after all, he had been led to believe that Killian had kidnapped her. She had watched from the captain’s cabin, her limping husband bargaining with Killian to let her go. There had been a mixture of shame and pity in her in that instant, and her head was screaming at her to go back to Rumple but the thought of having another chance at happiness stopped her.

She witnessed her lover challenging her husband to a duel, saw how he refused to fight for her and looked away. There was no way he would’ve won against an expert swordsman like Killian, but Milah still felt betrayed that Rumple had not even bothered to fight for her. It was then she had decided that this would be her life now, and she would never look back.

Months after, they docked at her old village, much to her surprise. Unable to hold off the thoughts about her son, she sneaked off into the night, with the plan of stealing Bae away from Rumple. She reached their old house, and was not surprised to see that it was in a worse condition than she had left it in. She peeked through the window to see if the two of them were asleep, it would be much easier to take him that way. Milah saw Rumple fast asleep on the bed, and Baelfire was curled up against him. His little arms were wrapped around his father’s so tightly, as if he was afraid someone would come into the night and kidnap him. Rumple had his hand around Bae, and there was a small smile on his face as he slept. They looked so happy, despite their surroundings, and it broke her heart.

Rumple and Bae had learned to live without her, they had probably forgotten about her and she found she could not resent them for it. Her son looked safe in Rumple’s hands and she did not have the heart to carry out what she intended to do. Baelfire had a father who would always protect him, she was sure Rumple would die for Bae if it came to that and Milah served no more purpose in this little family. She was out of the picture, she was not needed and as hard as it had been, she’d come to terms with it.  
And with one last glance at the place she had used to call home, she made her way back to the Jolly Roger, losing only a few tears thinking that she would never see her boy again.

“Milah?”

Rumple’s voice shook her from her thoughts.

“Oh, I thought you were asleep,” she muttered sheepishly.

“No, just Belle.”

She watched as he lifted his wife’s head from his chest, and slowly moved away so she did not wake. His face was unfathomable, and he placed a soft kiss on the top of Belle’s head before he stood up. Rumple walked towards her, his eyes boring into hers.

“Why don’t we take a walk?” he offered in that lowly voice of his. She noticed that he sounded calm.

“What about your wife?” she pressed and together, they glanced back at Belle’s sleeping figure.

“I think we should let her rest, she’s been through enough already. Besides, this is a rather private conversation and I’d like to keep it between us,” he murmured.

He pulled the door open for her, just like he always did all those years ago, and with a nod she walked out. He followed closely behind, glancing over to check on Belle one last time before closing the door behind him.

There was only silence at first, and she felt her arm brush against her as they walked side by side. She eyed him from the corner of her eyes, taking in his features in the light. He looked exactly as he had when they’d first met, the orphan spinner who charmed his way through everything, including her. His hair was grayer now, and there was a weight in every step he took as if he was carrying the world in each stride.

“I met my mother here, you know,” he said as they passed by old cottages they had once known.

She was surprised, she had not expected him to be so forthcoming about anything especially when it came to his mother. She had known since the day she had met him that he never liked talking about his mother or father. The whole village knew the story of how his father, a vicious gambler and drunkard, had left his son to the two spinsters without another glance.

His mother had abandoned him at childbirth, and there had been some rumors that she had run off with another man, leaving the fate of her son to the man who had impregnated her. Milah never found out if that was what actually happened seeing Rumple never told her anything of it.

“She didn’t-She didn’t abandon me…She died from a sickness- it wasn’t her fault,” he explained.

Milah was silent, she had nothing to add and so listened intently.

“Malcolm lied about her, Milah. I don’t know why I believed him. All he ever did was lie…a trait, it seems, I inherited from him.”

There was a lot of bitterness in his voice, she could hear him straining to speak. 

“Her name was Myra.”

“What are you doing here, Rumple?” Milah asked.

She was tired of him going around in circles, he wanted something and she wanted to know what it was. There was no point in them pretending they meant something to one another anymore. It was clear there was no love lost between them, and she could tell he had moved on from her just as much as she had.

“I told you about Hades’ conditions on releasing me and Belle from here, didn’t I?” 

“To free three souls, yes, you mentioned earlier.”

“Well, now we just need two more.”

There it was, finally he had said what he had wanted to the second he had gained consciousness in their old home. She had seen the way he had stared at her, he had been deep in thought and the mystery was finally solved.

“And you want me to give my soul up? Is that what you’re asking?” she was angry now and he could sense it. She had every right to be mad at him. He was the reason she had ended up here, he had taken her life away and now he was demanding for her soul?

“Hades sent us here for a reason, Milah. My mother- she said everyone here had their own unresolved business and that to be free, you have to find the means to-“

“-Your mother and I have nothing to do with each other, Rumple! What happens when you set my soul free-where would I go after that? What if this is just some kind of trap?” she let the words spill out of her mouth, watching his whole stature change.

He shrunk at the tone of her voice, and she was suddenly reminded of his old self, how he always seemed to grow small whenever she raised her voice at him. Milah forced herself to sound calm, it would not be good if she lost his temper with him.

“Think about it, Milah, why would you be here? In our old home- where we fell in and out of love?”

The question was ringing in her ears. She had always assumed she was here to find Baelfire but now she realized why she was here. Milah was here because of him, because of Rumplestiltskin. 

“Look, I’m not asking you for anything, Milah. The Gods know I have no right to ask you for this, not after everything I’ve done to you. I’ve wronged you, and terribly so. I ripped you apart from your lover, and I crushed your heart while he watched. No words can ever express my regret, n-nothing I say will ever make it right between us, I know.”

“So what are you saying?”

“That I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything-I should’ve fought in the Ogre Wars, I should have died in battle. You would have loved me still, and while Baelfire would have grown up without a father, he would have been proud of me. I’m sorry that I-I never tried to change…you offered me a second chance to start over, to leave this village and start afresh but I just c-couldn’t. I was too afraid, I had gotten so used to being a coward that I didn’t think I could leave it behind me. I had been so consumed by fear that I let my wife slip out of my hands, and then I was swallowed up by the power-I lost myself and ended up losing both my wife and child. I’m sorry.”

His lip trembled, and there was honesty spilling out of the tears in his eyes that she could not help but cry. The anger she harbored for him was still there, she realized, and that was what had been holding her in this little prison this whole time. Milah had never thought Rumplestiltskin was capable of remorse and here he was, pouring his guts out to her.  
He had changed, and she suspected much of it was thanks to the pregnant woman who now lay asleep in Milah’s house. She stared at him in wonderment, her voice was stuck in his throat. They were standing opposite each other, the wind was furiously blowing in their direction and the silence was deafening.

“I’m sorry too.”

“Wha-?” he looked startled.

“I-I was so ashamed of everyone calling you a coward…I lost myself in hate and humiliation. I forgot everything good you did for us and resorted to thinking only of how you had brought shame to our family. I didn’t think I could be happy living w-with a cripple…I didn’t know how I could raise the son of a coward. I became so miserable and when I met Killian, I remembered how it felt to smile again. I abandoned my family for a life of love and adventure and I’m sorry for that. We’ve both made mistakes, Rumple, and we deserve everything that’s happened to us.”

“You didn’t deserve to die. I did,” his voice was low, he was speaking more to himself than her.

She stepped closer to him, feeling her heart start to beat. Milah gasped at the feeling of her heart pounding loudly against her chest, this was something she hadn’t felt for years. He gazed up at her, and she could see how tired he looked. She saw a trickle of blood trailing from his temple and pulled at her shawl, wiping it away. He held his breath and she felt they were too close now.

His eyes followed hers, in a curious manner, as her hands dropped to her side and she sighed. Rumple’s hand found hers and she looked up at him.

“I loved you, you know,” he whispered.

“I know.”

“A long time ago,” he added.

“A long time ago,” she repeated, agreeing with a nod of her head.

“Were we ever happy?” 

She could sense he was serious now. Too many times she had caught herself thinking the same thing, yes, they had had good times but were they ever, truly happy?

“I-I don’t know. But Bae was ours, and he made us happy, didn’t he?”

He smiled at that and the creases in his features vanished without a trace.

“You and Belle, you have a chance to start again, you do realize that?” Milah asked.

“Yes,” he said shakily.

Milah was torn up, she wanted to help him, she truly did but she had to give up this life for it. She had grown used to the village, as fake as it was, and to all the village folk so how could she find it in her heart to let it all go? 

But this was her chance to make things right again with Rumple, to have closure like he’d said. If she did this, it would ensure his happy ending but there was no telling what would happen to her. Her soul would vanish, and then where would she go? Was there a better place out there for her than here? Or would she simply cease to exist?

Oh, to hell with it all, she thought. At least he would have the chance to be happy, even if she didn’t.

“I think I know why I ended up here,” she said.

His eyes widened, he was a clever man, he must have figured out what she was doing.

“Milah, you don’t have to-“

“-listen to me, Rumple. That day, on the Jolly Roger, I never meant what I said.”

She gulped, her body suddenly feeling light all of a sudden.

“Milah, I can find another way. Just please,” he begged, frantic.

“I said I was so miserable because I didn’t love you. That wasn’t true,” she said.

She felt as though she could float, and she felt as though a huge weight had been lifted off of her heart.

“Please, stop-“

“Just listen to me for once,” she snapped, grabbing him by the face roughly. His mouth was agape, but he did not interrupt where when she spoke again.

“I have always loved you, even after you turned into the village coward. That was why I hated myself for so long, that despite everything, I still thought about us, and how I could never part from you or Baelfire. And I let my hate blind me to everything, until eventually I saw nothing but the ugliness of the world and I let it eat me whole. I turned into a bitter, angry and spiteful woman who showed her own husband no mercy or love and I regret that. I forgot how to love and I-when I found Killian, he reminded me of how to love again. He changed me into the woman I was, he brought back the real me, showed me how to live again.”

She took a pause.

“W-what I’m trying to say is…when you came back into my life, I was frightened. There was no doubt you would take your revenge on me for leaving, for running away and leaving our child behind. I was scared but I was also furious, I did not want you to destroy everything I had worked so hard to build. The ship, the crew, Killian…they had become my new family and I was ready to die for them. If they died at your hands, then it would’ve been my fault so I did what I knew would drive you away. I hurt you with my words. I told you that I never loved you and I-I lied. The minute I saw you step foot on that ship, I knew I had lied to myself all those years that I never loved you because I did. I have always loved you, Rumplestiltskin, I just-wasn’t in love with you. And I hope you know that,” she finished, hoping she made at least a little sense.

There were no words exchanged between them. He was staring at her with those wide, brown eyes begging her to stop. She looked down at her chest and saw a bright light emitting from her. 

“You were right all along, Rumple. I was put here in this little village because this was the only place I could never truly let go of. It had been my home, it had been where I had my l’d met you, and had Bae. And unless I put it behind me, I’ll be stuck here forever and for what? There is nothing here for me in this superficial land, there is no point in spending my eternity here. My unfinished business was you, it was always you. Funny, isn’t it?”

The more she spoke, the more she felt the light erupting from her until she was beginning to fade away. Rumplestiltskin held on to her, his nails digging into her skin but it didn’t hurt.

“Let me go, Rumple,” she whispered.

“Where will you go?” he cried out.

“Perhaps I’ll go somewhere nice, maybe I’ll see our son again,” she answered with a smile.

He smiled back, sadly.

“Goodbye, Rumplestiltskin. Get out of here, and take Belle with you. You can start a family with her, something you never could with me. Promise me-promise me you’ll do this for me, please.”

“I promise,” his voice barely audible.

And Milah exploded in the white light, just like Myra had, and when he opened his eyes there was nothing left of her except the shawl she had picked off her head. He bent down to take it, pressing it against his chest.

He looked up at the sky, it was turning dark. He turned on his heels, walking as fast as he could back to the old house where Belle was. All around him, the villagers began to fade out, and everything began to blend together. Even the children who were running around him had blurry faces, it was as though the whole village was disappearing. Milah must have built this place from her memories, and so had Myra. It was like a dream, the minute the dreamer had been wiped out of existence, the place they’d built would cease to exist.

He pushed the door open and Belle was there, sitting upright, staring at the fireplace. The flames had begun to leap out, biting into everything around her.

“Belle!” he yelled and she turned to him.

“What’s happening?” she called.

“Come on-I’ll explain later!”

He ran to her, and lifted her to her feet. Grabbing her hand, he started to run as fast as he could. When they exited the house, they were met with an empty landscape. All the cottages, fields and people had vanished, and they were staring at a blank canvas.

He gripped her hand tight.

“Don’t let go. No matter what happens.”

She nodded, biting her lip. 

The sky had turned dark, it was moving towards them, enveloping them. He closed his eyes shut, and waited for what would come next.


	27. Chapter 27

Rumplestiltskin let out a huge breath when he felt ground beneath his feet. He felt sick, like he would throw up so he stepped away from Belle quickly. He retched and she was by his side in an instant, rubbing his back, asking if he was alright.

“I-I’m fine, Belle,” he mumbled as he stood upright. 

She kept her eyes on him, her hands were out as if she was preparing herself to catch him should he fall. Rumplestiltskin checked his surroundings, realizing they now stood at the edge of a forest. He leaned lightly against the tree trunk, wishing the ache that pounded his head would stop.

It had all happened too fast. Milah. The village. Belle. 

He had two souls now, he was almost close to the end, whatever that was. He glanced towards Belle, her stomach looked so big now, he thought. Time passed extremely slowly and yet, the baby must be growing…would that be possible? 

“What happened? With Milah?” 

He was startled by her sudden question, he had not prepared for an answer.

“We, uh, just talked. There were a lot of things I-we-needed to say to each other and that was the chance of making things somewhat right again. She decided she wanted to be free from this hellish place so she did what needed to be done.”

Rumplestiltskin surprised himself with his open honesty, and wondered momentarily if perhaps he could change after all. Belle listened, smiling faintly.

“Y-You’re not mad?” he asked.

“What for?”

“I didn’t-I mean, I just left you there alone without even asking if-“

“-Rumple, you needed to be alone to do that with Milah. You both have an awful lot of history and I wouldn’t have wanted to intrude between you two. So no, I’m not mad, Rumple. Besides, I was trying to catch up on my sleep,” she said with a grin and stretched lightly.

He could only nod at her, amazed at the beautiful woman before him. They had all been right, he had been so extremely lucky to have met Belle, the angel who had been sent from the heavens to fix the demons howling inside of him. 

“Oh, I borrowed Milah’s shoes-I hope she won’t mind…mine were too worn out,” Belle said, pointing towards her feet and gasped. Milah’s shoes must have vanished alongside the rest of the village when her soul had been set free for Belle was now standing barefoot on the barren earth, her leg full of blisters. Rumple moved his hand to heal it, forgetting that he did not have an ounce of magic on him anymore. He swore under his breath, wishing he could do something for her.

His own feet was full of bruises, he was sure, but this was a pain he had gotten used to. He did not care what condition he was in, all that mattered was Belle.

“Maybe we’ll come across another village, they might be able to help us,” Belle offered, taking his hand in hers. He nodded solemnly, hating himself.

They walked downhill, leaving the pretty trees behind them.

“Where do you think this is?” Belle asked.

“I don’t know-I’m sure we’ll find out soon.”

Belle linked her arm around his, and leaned her head against his shoulders as they walked past the empty road before them.

“What was it like? Your life from before?”

Belle knew everything about him since he had become the Dark One, but his life before that he had hidden away from her. She only knew that his father had abandoned him, and how he had injured his leg so he could run away from the war but other than that, it was all still a mystery to her. He had buried the memories of his early life deep inside his chest, but now Belle was tugging at it and he was afraid he would release his grip on it. The innocence of his life from...before, as Belle had aptly put, was something he did not want to share with anyone in fear of tainting it.

But this was Belle, she had the right to know everything about him. He had given her that right when he had pledged his life and soul to her. He was forever indebted to her and if she asked him about his life, he would tell her all she wanted to know gladly.

“What do you want to know?” his voice was rather low.

She stuttered, she had not expected him to be so forthcoming about his past all of a sudden.

“Anything. Tell me anything you want.”

“After my father left me stranded, two spinsters took me in. I’ve mentioned them to you before, haven’t I?” Rumplestiltskin asked and she nodded.

“What were they like?”

Rumplestiltskin began to recognize the pathway they were on, but he did not know where he had seen it before.

“They were good to me, they took in an orphan boy and taught him to be a proper man. I was-am- extremely grateful to the two of them…I probably would’ve starved to death on the streets had they not taken pity and opened their doors for me.”

“Do you think we might meet them here?” Belle’s voice was shrill, she sounded excited.

He did not have an answer to her question. The two women had passed away from old age, and they had never expressed any regret or guilt about their lives to him. They had simply pulled him close and told him they loved him and that he would learn to forgive his father. He had been in his late teens when they died, and they had left the old house in his name. Rumplestiltskin had always assumed that his two mothers (it was what he had come to call them) had lived their lives to their fullest and that he would not find them here.

So, he simply shrugged and she did not mind that answer.

“So how did you meet Milah?”

Hearing her name still hurt. She had been cruel to him for so many years and she had paid dearly for that with her life. They had found it in their hearts to finally forgive each other for the torment they had both put the other in, but he could not lose the bitter taste in his mouth at the mention of her name. He had learned to forgive her, but Rumplestiltskin doubted he would ever forget the years of suffering he had gone through with her.

Still, despite everything, he hoped she was at a better place. Milah had given her soul so that he could have a chance at happiness, and he would never forget that either. The thought of Milah being reunited with Baelfire in the afterlife made him envious. Oh, what he would do to see his wee boy once more.

“She owned a stall in the village right next to mine. We would occasionally talk and as weeks passed, we grew closer to the point that we were inseparable. Month later, I asked her hand in marriage and the rest is history,” he said.

Belle seemed content with his answer. They were now nearing a huge lake and that was when panic began to set into Rumplestiltskin’s thoughts. He stopped in his tracks, but Belle approached the lake, giggling when she felt the water tickle her feet. 

“Oh, this feels wonderful!” she exclaimed as she walked further into the lake.

“Rumple, come o-what’s wrong?”

Rumplestiltskin was silent, his voice caught in his throat. Belle was frightened by his sudden demeanor, and the sight of his pale face made her step away from the lake and she was by his side once more.

He recognized the scene before him, it was all too familiar. 

“I think I know where we are, Belle,” he murmured, looking up at her.

She squeezed his shoulder, encouraging him to continue.

“Neverland.”

It was not the real Neverland, but a clever copy much like the other places they’d visited. The fear that was eating at him was too much to bear, memories of being abandoned by his father returned as he examined the terrain more closely. He thought he saw a movement from behind him, but when he turned around, there was nothing there. 

“Your father-you don't think he's here, do you?” she asked, her lips quivering.

“Aye, that he is.”

The two of them spun around and was met with a leering boy standing before them. It was Pan, and he had an ugly smirk painted on his face. His hands were behind his back, and Rumplestiltskin noticed that his feet weren’t touching the ground. He stepped in front of Belle protectively and his father sniggered. 

“Is something funny?” Rumplestiltskin asked, in a spiteful tone.

Pan lowered his feet onto the ground in that instant, and laughed nastily. He walked around them, his eyes on Belle and Rumplestiltskin felt a strange chill. Pan stopped at the spot he’d stood in before and crossed his arms.

“I just think it’s hilarious that you think you can protect her when you can barely protect yourself.”

“I don’t need magic to take you down. Or have you forgotten?” Rumplestiltskin said, grinning. He felt Belle’s grip on him tighten and he cast her a reassuring look. He wasn’t afraid of Pan. Not anymore.

The smirk on Pan’s face faded and anger flashed across his face.

“I won’t make the mistake of underestimating you again. That I can promise you,” Pan murmured.

“What do you want?” Belle voiced out, catching Pan’s interest once more.

“I see you’ve gotten rather busy, Rumple. Tell me, is my grandchild a boy or a girl?” his tone was mocking; he was being cruel now.

Belle shrunk away, her hand letting go of Rumplestiltskin to wrap around her stomach. 

“Don’t worry, Belle, he won’t hurt us.”

“Oh, won’t I?” Pan challenged, his eyes had a strange madness to them. 

Rumplestiltskin laughed as he watched his father’s confidence drop slightly.

“I know what you want. And you won’t be able to get it if you kill us.”

“Rumple, what-?”

“He wants the souls, Belle. He wants it so that he can escape this place, just like everyone else in this wretched place.”

Belle fell silent.

“What a clever little boy you are, Rumple! As much as I love this place, it’s nothing like home and you of all people should know that. I just want to go home, Rumple, and the only way I can do that is through you.”

“You must be mad if you think I’ll just hand the souls over to you,” Rumplestiltskin said roughly.

“Ah, but I’m not asking you.”

Pan stepped closer towards them, extending his hand out to Belle who stared at him, puzzled.

“That pretty little thing you have around your neck. Hand it over to me and I’ll leave you and your child safe from harm,” Pan growled, baring his teeth. Belle felt her hand leap up to her chest, and her fingers turned the locket around.

“This? What do you want with this?” she asked.

“You don’t know? You both really don’t know?” Pan seemed to be enjoying this.

“Get to the point.” Rumplestiltskin’s voice was gruff. He was beyond angry, he wanted to destroy the boy standing in front of him. If he laid a single finger on Belle, he would make Pan pay for it.

“That locket is our way out of this place. All those souls you’ve freed or whatever, they’re all locked up in it. Once you’ve gotten enough, it unlocks the key to the gates of the Underworld. So, don’t make me ask again, hand it over. Now.”

Belle jumped back when Rumplestiltskin raised his hand with a loud cry. Pan waved his hand and suddenly he was stuck. His body went rigid, and he felt unable to move. Pan was cackling, and leaned close to him.

“You’re nothing here. You have no magic to protect yourself now.”

Rumplestiltskin struggled but no matter how hard he tried to break free from the spell Pan cast on him, it was useless. Pan was right, he thought. He was nothing without his magic and because of it, Belle was in danger and there wasn’t anything he could do to save her.

His eyes moved up to Belle’s and he felt something inside him snap at the sight of her. She looked beyond terrified, moving her head away when Pan tried to touch her.

“Don’t you dare touch her!” he yelled and Pan snickered.

“Or what?”

Pan’s hand lingered on Belle’s face, and he let it drop to her stomach.

“Tell me, Belle,” he whispered, “is this child really Rumple’s? Or does it belong to another man?”

Rumplestiltskin’s head shot up, his hands were trembling and there was a storm behind his expression.

“You know, Baelfire was also a bastard. It wouldn’t surprise me if this w-“

Before Pan could finish, Belle had spat on his face. Rumplestiltskin shook his head at Belle, begging her silently to keep her mouth shut. It wouldn’t end well if she made Pan snap. Pan, however, wiped off the spit and chuckled.

“My, my, he certainly knows how to pick ‘em,” he interjected, winking at Rumplestiltskin.

“I’m not afraid of you.” Belle said, staring at Pan with a mixture of anger and disgust.

“What a brave little girl. It would be such a shame if I had to kill her, Rumple, would it not?”

Rumplestiltskin clenched his jaw. He prayed that the spell would wear out so he could give Pan what was coming to him. 

“Don’t hurt her. Please,” Rumplestiltskin pleaded, trying to buy as much time as he could. All he needed was the spell to wear out and then he’d think of a way to save them.

“Then you tell her to give me that locket, Rumple. Its plain simple-“

“I’m not giving it to you.” Belle had made up her mind, it seemed.

“Belle, please.”

She glanced at him, there were tears in her eyes and then Pan brushed his hand against her temple. 

“I’m s-“

And before she could finish, Belle’s eyes closed shut and she fell onto the ground. Pan stood over her unconscious body victoriously, but there was no smile on his face this time.

Rumplestiltskin fell to his knees, the spell on him had been lifted and with all the strength he had, he crawled towards Belle’s lifeless form. He pulled her body and laid it gently on his lap and with a trembling hand, he covered his mouth. He felt the tears slide down his cheeks as he searched for a pulse but there was nothing. He could not accept it, this wasn’t supposed to have happened. 

“Belle,” he sobbed over her fragile body, his hands on her belly. Seconds later, cracks appeared over her skin and he watched in horror as Belle crumbled into dust in his arms. He sat there, his arms were still out in the air as if he were still holding her body close to him.

“What have you done?” there was only anger in his voice now.

“This was all your fault, Rumple. This wouldn’t have happened if you had convinced her to give me the locket.”

Rumplestiltskin looked up at his father, his hand curling into a fist.

“Because of you, Rumplestiltskin, your wife has paid the price. It is rather ironic, don’t you think, that you took my life once to save hers. And now I’ve taken hers to save mine,” Pan said, with a forced laugh.

“You murdered them. She was pregnant, Pan. You took my wife and child from me.”

Pan grinned, his teeth bared. He shrugged in a casual way, and this drove Rumplestiltskin into a blind rage. He reached into his jacket, and felt around for the dagger. It did not wield any magic anymore, but it was the only weapon he had on him and he would use it. If Belle had been here, she would’ve advised against it…she would’ve told him to use his brain and not to listen to his heart.

But Belle was gone. He had killed her. Them. Their deaths were on his hands, if he had done his best maybe she would still be alive. He felt as though someone had shot him in the chest, it was much too painful to think about. 

“Go ahead, Rumple, this is your only chance to take your revenge.”

Rumplestiltskin whipped the dagger out viciously, pointing it at Pan. He blinked once, and then Pan had vanished. 

“I’m right here, Rumple. What are you waiting for?” Pan’s voice came from behind him and Rumplestiltskin turned around quickly, waving the dagger around him crazily.   
Pan leaped away, the blade missing him by inches. A look of fear crossed his father’s eyes, as if he was suddenly afraid of the useless knife his son was wielding. Encouraged, Rumplestiltskin walked towards Pan, counting down the steps before he could reach the man who had destroyed everything he had cared about in the world.

Pan leaned up against a tree, there was nowhere else to go. Rumplestiltskin had expected him to use magic once more but instead he just stood there, cowering. He seemed to be saying something but the words sounded distant, the anguish and despair had overcome his ability to function. He raised the dagger into the air, ready to deliver the fatal blow when he heard it-

It was Belle’s voice, but it sounded incredibly far away, as if in a dream. His head was pounding, every nerve in his body was screaming at him to stop, to put the dagger down but he couldn’t. He had lost it all, he wouldn’t let Belle's or his child’s death go unavenged. Pan would pay.

“Rumple, listen to me.”

Pan was talking now, his mouth moving fast but it wasn’t his voice. Belle seemed to be speaking out of him and he shook his head.

It was just a trick. 

“It’s me, Rumple, please, look at me,” Belle’s voice continued to ring through his ears.

“No! It’s just a trick!” he bellowed and Pan flinched. He had been trying to reach out to him and Rumplestiltskin stepped backwards. 

“No, no, he’s trying to confuse you, Rumple. I need you to look at me. It’s just me, it's Belle,” Pan said in a pitiful voice.

Rumplestiltskin shook his head. Was this just Pan toying with him before he took his soul?

“He killed you. I saw it.”

“It was just magic, Rumple. He used it to trick you. If you kill me, he’ll get the souls, mine included. Trust me,” her voice was getting clearer.

Pan’s image began to fade, and he caught a glimpse of Belle’s blue eyes. She was telling the truth. He let his grip on the dagger loosen, and it fell out of his hand with a thud onto the rocky ground. 

He saw a flash of brown hair and felt something round against him. Belle’s arms were wrapped around him tightly, her bulging stomach getting in the way but he had grown used to it. He wished she would never let go, the relief that flooded his thoughts was one only he knew.

She was still alive. Belle was still here.

“I thought I lost you,” he mumbled.

“You should know by now that that’s impossible,” she whispered back and he laughed.

He let out a sigh when they pulled away from each other. His hands graced her cheeks, and he looked into her eyes, remembering what it was like to breathe again. He dabbed away the single tear that dripped down her nose with a sad smile. He leaned in to kiss her, their lips just meeting when suddenly he was thrown back. He heard her scream, and then there was a deafening sound in his ears. He thought he was seeing spots, and felt something hot against his cheeks.

He tasted blood in his mouth and spat it out bitterly, struggling to get on his feet. He felt another blow to his face and it brought him down onto the floor. He did not know what was happening-

“YOU COWARD! YOU CAN’T DO ANYTHING RIGHT, CAN YOU?” Pan was bellowing.

Rumplestiltskin received a kick to his stomach and he curled up, howling in pain. Despite the pain, he laughed.

“Y-you th-though you could manipulate m-me, did…you?” he said between breaths.

“I NEVER SAW THE POINT IN YOU!”

Rumplestiltskin could feel the weight of Pan’s feet on his fingers, he thought he heard his bones cracking. He screamed, unable to stop himself from crying out.

“YOU’VE-TAKEN-EVERYTHING-FROM-ME-!” Pan screamed, every word he spat out was followed by a kick. Rumplestiltskin was bruised to the point he could not even try to fight back. Unsatisfied that Rumplestiltskin was very much still breathing, Pan lifted him up by the collar. Despite his youthful appearance, his father was incredibly strong. Rumplestiltskin looked into his father’s eyes, barely being able to open his eyes. Every part of his body was hurting but the thought that he had driven his father to this sort of madness brought a triumphant smile to his lips.

“I saw her here, y-you know,” he whispered.

Pan’s eyes widened.

“What are you talking about? Who did you see?”

"You know who. Myra."

Rumplestiltskin’s eyes flickered upwards, and he saw Belle standing behind an unaware Pan. She caught his eye and for a moment, she shook her head slightly, bringing a finger to her lips. He moved his attention back to Pan who seemed to be at a loss for words.

“Where did you see Myra?” Pan asked, shaking him slightly.

“D-don’t worry, you’ll…never-see her again. She's safe...from you. You d-don't deserve her-”

There was a bloodcurdling scream and Rumplestiltskin fell onto the floor with a thud. Pan landed atop him, and Rumpelstiltskin didn’t even have to strength to push him off. He felt small hands under his arms, and he was pulled away from Pan.

“It’s okay, I’ve got you,” he heard Belle whisper but he was staring at his father lying on the ground a metre away from him.

There was a dagger stuck fast to his back, and Pan began to convulse. Rumplestiltskin and Belle watched as Pan transformed once more into Malcolm, dropping dead where he lay.

“I’m sorry-I had to,” Belle murmured into his ear.

“Y-you saved me, Belle.”

“What’s going to happen to us?” she whispered.

Just as she spoke, the ground trembled for a moment and he held onto to Belle as hard as he could. But nothing happened except for Malcolm’s body that had dissolved into a white cloud of smoke. The scenery around them had not changed. They were still in Neverland.

They had failed. Malcolm had been the last test, and Rumplestiltskin had failed to free his soul. He was going to be stuck here forever. Hades had won, at last.

“No,” Belle whimpered.

“It’s okay, Belle, we tried, didn’t we? I’ll stay with you until we find a way to get you back home. I promise.”

“No, I refuse to give up, not when we’ve come this far. There has to be a way-“

“There is.”

Rumplestiltskin almost jumped to his feet at the sound.

The two of them looked up to see a little boy, draped in an old shawl. His hair was messy, eyes glinting brown in the light and he was smiling widely. He fell to his knees, and reached for Rumplestiltskin’s hand gently.

“Bae,” he said, wondrously. 

“Papa,” Baelfire replied, with a slight nod of his head.

Rumplestiltskin pulled his son close to his chest, and kissed him all over his face. Baelfire only laughed, and flashed a grin at Belle.

“W-what are you doing here?” Rumplestiltskin asked.

“I’ve come to save you, Papa! I heard your voice-I knew it was you!”

Rumplestiltskin drank in the sight of his tiny son, his heart heaving at the thought of Baelfire having heard his prayers. He had spent months in the dank cell praying that he might see Bae again, and now here he stood, looking just as he did before he had fallen into the portal.

“How?” Rumplestiltskin asked, knowing just what his son meant.

Bae leaned in close and planted a firm kiss on his forehead, and Rumplestiltskin smiled sadly. His hands were gripping his son’s tightly, afraid that he might lose him if he let go for even a minute. In that moment, his dreams had been brought to life. He was in the arms of his True Love, and he had both his son and unborn child with him. He had a family, even if it was only temporary.

“You have to let me go, Papa. I can’t be free until you let me go,” Baelfire whispered.

Rumplestiltskin wished for death to come. He realized now that this had been what Hades had intended all along. The God of the Underworld had set him this specific task because he knew Rumplestiltskin would never pass this test. Hades knew just how weak he was, and that he would never give his son up for anything.

It had always been decided that he would lose to Hades, because he could never let Baelfire go. He had let his son slip out of his life way too many times, and he was being asked to do it again. How many times had he thought about this, how many times had he wished to be given another chance to change his choices and here he was, finally presented with it.

He could either let go of Baelfire, or he could choose to stay with him. But if he chose the latter, he would have to give Belle up.

“Please, son, I can’t choose.”

“You can. You already have. All you have to do is say it, Papa,” Baelfire said, looking at Belle.

Rumplestiltskin pulled his son close to him, his hand running through his unkept hair, memorizing every detail so he could keep him in his memory for as long as he lived. 

“I’m sorry I let you go, son. I’m sorry you never got to have your happy ending with me-I’m sorry I let the power blind me. I love you, Bae, forever.”

“I forgive you, Papa. And I like her, keep her safe for me, please,” Bae said, his words jumbled up because was being pressed against his father’s chest. The familiar white light bounced out of his son’s body, and Baelfire began to disintegrate.

"Yes," Rumplestiltskin whispered, nodding.

“I love you too.”

And that was the last thing Rumplestiltskin heard from his son.

“Rumple!” he heard Belle yell but he was feeling woozy. His head was spinning, and as he looked down at his hands, he noticed he was beginning to fade too.

“What’s happening?” he asked and he felt an invisible force hit him from behind. 

Rumplestiltskin let out a loud groan before he slipped out of consciousness.


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is divided into three parts.  
> The first and third part is Regina's perspective of the present timeline whereas the second is a flashback to before Regina had her conversation with Belle. Thanks for all the comments and hope you guys enjoy! :)

Regina was pacing back and forth, and only stopped when she heard Hayes crying. She shook her head, and looked to see if Robin had gone to the wailing child but he was nowhere to be found. 

Sighing, she walked towards her child and looked down at her in sadness. This baby, Hayes, had been everything she had looked forward to but now she was not so sure anymore. Ever since they had returned from the Underworld, Regina felt indifferent about everything. 

'It's just temporary,' she'd thought to herself but she doubted it now. She could always go to Archie but that would mean she would have to come clean about what had happened down in the Underworld. She would have already, except that Emma still hasn't found the courage to tell Henry yet. 

Her heart clenched at the thought of her son, that he would soon learn the truth of what his mothers had done. 

Regina slowly lifted the baby to her chest and began to rock her slowly, and soon the noise stopped as Hayes drifted off to sleep. Regina, though Hayes was no longer crying, continued to sing to her while lost in her thoughts. 

What had happened to Belle? Had she found Rumplestiltskin? Her senses told her that she had but how on Earth could she possibly bring him back? 

"We should have gone with her," Regina whispered to Hayes, who was now smiling in her sleep. 

"Regina," Robin called from behind her. 

She turned to smile at him before placing Hayes back into her cradle. He wrapped his arms from behind her, and placed a kiss on the back of her neck. 

"Where were you?" Regina asked quietly. 

"I popped by Granny's for a bit," he murmured into her ear. 

Regina only smiled, she didn't particularly feel like talking at the moment. There was just too much she had in her thoughts and she didn't think Robin wanted to hear any of it. 

"I dropped Roland off with Granny, she said she'd look after him for a while," he continued. 

She offered him some more silence. 

"We can spend some time alone, now."

"Great," she said, the words coming to sound more sarcastic than she had meant to. 

"Regina, what's wrong?" He asked, turning her round so she could face him. She found herself straying from his face to the clock behind him. 

"You know you can tell me anything, right? Regina..." His voice trailed away. 

"Don't you feel guilty at all? How do you live every day pretending like none of that Underworld business happened?"

She couldn't hold it in anymore. It wasn't just about Rumple, it was more than that. In the Underworld, she had come across familiar faces, all the innocent lives she had taken away back when she had been the Evil Queen. She knew she was a changed woman now but their faces still haunted her.

She thought she saw them everywhere, she could sometimes even hear their voices calling her name. It wasn't just a nightmare anymore, she was being chased by the ghosts of her past and no one else seemed to be going through it. She had told Robin once about this, just casually, and he had simply shrugged it off. He'd told her she'd forget it about it soon but it had never faded away. 

She was going crazy, and no one could understand her. If he was here, he would know what to do, she thought. He would have told her how to get rid of the darkness chasing her, but he wasn't here. He was worlds away, trapped in Hades' clutches because of them. 

"What are you talking about?" He asked, his hand reaching out to cup her face. Robin looked genuinely concerned and she was grateful that he cared at least a little. 

"I always see them-they're everywhere. How can you still love me after everything I've done? You saw the people I murdered in the Underworld, how can you still think I'm a good person?"

There were tears staining her cheeks and she quickly wiped them away. Robin slowly squeezed her shoulders before leaning in for a quick peck on her lips. 

"Regina, you've changed now. You can't keep living in the past, you have to learn to move on. If you keep thinking like this, you're never going to be free."

It was easier said than done, she thought. He could say that because he had never done what she had, he had never killed an innocent soul before. What was even worse that every time she looked at Robin, she'd be reminded of his wife. The only reason he had fallen in love with her was because Marian had died- and that was because of her too. 

She couldn't do this. This wasn't who she was. She had thought that her problems would all be solved if she found her True Love. And yet here she was, still as troubled as ever. 

"Robin, I-I can't-"

Regina couldn't do it. The words were too hard to say out loud. There was no coming back from this, she reminded herself. If she did this, she was giving up her last chance at finding love with someone. 

"Hey, hey, it's okay. We'll find a way to help you," Robin murmured, pulling her into a hug. She rested her head against his chest, and cried. This was going to be painful, but it was necessary. 

"I can't do this with you, Robin."

His first reaction was to laugh, and she thought he didn't understand what she had meant. She moved away from him, stepping back so she could look up at him. His expression was confused, he must have thought she'd been joking. 

"Regina, what-what are you saying?" He asked, blinking repeatedly. 

"This," she motioned to the baby and him. He scoffed. 

"What are you talking about? You've been wonderful to us-Regina, please, you can't be serious."

"I am, Robin. I tried my best but this is all too much for me. I'm struggling to save myself but it's too hard. I can't-I mean how can I start a family with you if I don't even know who I am?" Her voice came out thick and cold, and she wished it was the opposite. 

The kindness she had always seen in his eyes had vanished. 

"I can help you, Regina. I have your back, just like Roland and Hayes do. Look at us, sweetheart, we can be a real and proper family if you'll just give yourself a chance."

"I don't know if I'm ready for a family. After what happened with Henry-I don't think I'm a good mother and I need to work on that. I just need some space to figure it out, that's all," she whispered looking to the ground. 

There was a horrifying silence in the room, which was interrupted by the baby's slow breathing. 

"Does that mean you want to give up on us?" Robin asked slowly. 

"Of course not! I just said I need some time alone-"

"-and what do you think that means, Regina? You'll go off and be dark like you were before and where would that leave us? Face it, if you walk away now, there's no saving us. Make your choice."

She was stunned. How could he say that? She had hurt him, yes, but did he really love her? If he had he wouldn't have said what he had said. 

"Do you really think that?"

"Look, Regina, please...I need you. I can't do this without you. I love you."

And she loved him too, for what it was worth. But this was something she needed to do on her own. She did not need someone to save her, she could do it herself. 

"I'm sorry."

The words seemed so final, it broke her heart. But she felt relieved that she had finally said it after holding it in for too long. She felt as though a part of her was now free, though she did not know how she was going to explain this to Snow or the others. 

"Regina," he said softly, reaching out to touch her but he let his hand drop when she turned away from him. 

It hurt too much to hear his broken voice, she couldn't stand it. With a wave of her hand, she vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving a saddened Robin Hood standing there with his head drooped.

*****************************************  
"Hey, kid," Emma called to Henry, smiling widely when he stretched his arm outwards and hugged her. She playfully messed his hair up, and grinned at him. 

Though he looked pale, he seemed to look exactly as he did before they had left for the Underworld. He did not remember anything that had happened so that meant the spell Hades had cast on him worked. 

"What's up?" He asked, his hand moving to place around her waist. She kissed the top of his head and the two of them began to walk, towards nowhere in particular. 

"Nothing-it's just...I don't really see you around these days, that's all."

He often vanished throughout the day, and then returned home for dinner. Of course, Emma just assumed he was at Regina's, it was his old house after all but then Regina had also mentioned briefly that Henry was hardly around these days. 

"Oh, I'm at the library or at Mr. Gold's shop with Belle," Henry explained. 

Emma nodded, smiling, but inside she felt her insides turning at the mention of Gold's name. Henry had never really hung out with Belle before, so it made her curious what he was doing with her all day. 

"So are you guys, like, bonding now or something?" She inquired and he raised an eyebrow at her. 

"Well, she's helping me with something."

There it was, the secrecy. He was being vague on purpose, he didn't want her to find out what he was up to. It only made her feel more suspicious on what her son and the pregnant widow were up to. 

"Oh yeah? Aren't you going to tell me what it's about?" She asked casually. 

He looked up at her, he seemed to be wondering if he could trust her perhaps. 

"Are you sure you really want to know?"

"Henry, I'm your mother, of course I want to know!" She protested and he laughed, his teeth flashing at her. 

"Well, I didn't tell you guys because I didn't want you to be worried but...I've been having these weird nightmares or something. Belle thinks it's got something to do with my lost memories and she said she'd help me to recover them."

It was so much worse than she had thought. Henry was trying to get his memories back, and with the help of Belle. Ironically, it had to be the two people she'd wanted to hide the truth from that were so desperate to find it. But Emma wasn't in the least surprised to hear this, it was Henry after all. Of course he wanted to get to the bottom of this mystery.

"Nightmares? You know, Henry, I could give Archie a call and you could talk to-"

"Mom, please, it was just a one time thing. I'm fine, I promise," he argued but she knew he was lying. He gave her a forced smile and she was reminded of Neal all of a sudden. Henry had a strange likeness to his father, he didn't exactly resemble Neal but had more of his mannerisms. 

"Have you tried Granny's new gingerbread cookies yet? Come on, it's really good!" He yelled before she could retort. He pulled her in the opposite direction, and they walked towards the diner. 

"So, how is Belle?" Emma asked. 

At that, Henry dropped his head, and kicked at the little rocks on the pavement. There was a silence in the air as they walked. 

"That bad, huh?" 

He shook his head and shrugged, trying to find the right words to say. It took him a moment to answer her. 

"She's, I don't know-she talks to me and laughs but sometimes she gets quiet and that's when I see how sad she is. She doesn't like to admit it but I know she misses him, you know? Whenever I bring him up, she gets this look in her eyes-that's how I can tell she still loves him, I guess."

The guilt bit at Emma, it was clear Belle was deeply affected by what had happened to Gold. Despite everything he had done, she knew that Gold had loved Belle with everything he had despite breaking her heart multiple times. 

She had seen the way he had looked at her, the smile on his face never faltered whenever she was with him. Emma had once thought that Belle would be the person to change who he was but she had been wrong. He had ended up choosing his power over her, and Emma had despised him for it. 

In the Underworld, he had told her of his plans to get rid of the darkness but it had been too late. She regretted her decisions, especially the one where she had agreed to let Gold sacrifice himself to save Henry but what was the point of feeling sorry about it now? 

Because of her, Belle's child would grow up fatherless. If Gold had known that Belle would get pregnant, she knew he never would've given his life for Henry's. 

"Mom, what's wrong?" Henry asked. 

Everything was wrong, she wanted to say. Everything was wrong and she just wanted to fix it. 

"Nothing, kid." She answered instead. 

"Aren't you coming in?" He asked, pushing the door to Granny's open. She hadn't realized they had already reached it. 

"You go on in, first. I have to call someone," she muttered and he nodded. 

Emma pulled her phone out and dialed Regina's number, hoping the other woman would pick it up. 

"Emma? What's wrong?" She asked, concerned. 

How typical of Regina to just assume that something was the matter. How right of her as well, she thought rolling her eyes. 

"It's Henry, Regina. He's-he's trying to get his memories back," she whispered, looking around to see if anyone was listening. 

There was an audible gasp from the other line. 

"What? How is he going to do that?"

"Belle. Apparently the two of them are on a new mission to recover what he lost."

Regina made an annoyed sound, and Emma almost snorted. 

"I should've known that bookworm wouldn't keep still for long. I'll talk to her, don't worry," Regina replied. 

"Good. Oh and uh, I forgot to ask, how-uh-how are you doing?" Emma asked, and felt she had come off sounding incredibly awkward. 

"Yes, I'm doing just fine," Regina replied after a while. 

"Regina..."

"What?"

"He can't find out, you know that right?"

"Yes, yes, I know. Don't worry about it."

And Regina hung up. Emma sighed defeatedly. 

She would talk to Belle herself but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She was too afraid she would slip up and give away something and that was a risk she couldn't afford to take.  
***************************************** 

Regina appeared right in the middle of the docks, and bumped straight into-

"Emma!" She exclaimed as the blonde's head crashed against hers. 

"Ow, what the hell, Regina? Can't you just walk like a normal person?" Emma asked as she rubbed the sore spot on her head, glaring at her. 

"How was I supposed to know you would be here?" Regina yelled. 

Emma rolled her eyes, moving to sit on one of the benches there, eyeing the tiny little boats in the distance. Regina observed her for a moment, she looked troubled. 

"May I?" Regina asked the other woman in a sarcastic tone and Emma scooted over, leaving some space for her. 

"What are you doing here, anyway?" she asked as she wrapped her coat around her. 

"I don't know-I just needed to take a walk," Emma murmured. 

Regina nodded, absent mindedly. 

"Things aren't going so well with the pirate, I presume?" 

"No, not really," Emma said, sighing. 

"What's wrong with him?" Regina asked wearily. She never did trust Emma's choice in bringing the pirate back to Storybrooke with them, not after what he'd done to Henry. It wasn't his fault, she knew that, but it was easier for her to think that. 

"I don't know, Regina. He-he's so distant and he never talks about anything...I just-sometimes I wish we never brought him back here. He's not the same Killian anymore."

Regina looked at her, startled. 

"Surely you don't mean that? After everything we did-Emma, we let Gold die for this!" She hissed. 

"Don't you think I know that? And it's not just Killian...I keep thinking about Henry, and what I did to him...and Gold-for God's sake, Belle went after him, Regina! If anything happens to her, it'll be my fault and I just want to-ugh!" Emma threw her hands in the air, and fell silent. 

Regina could hear soft sobbing sounds next to her. Emma was crying now, and uncontrollably so. Regina moved to rub Emma's back slowly, hoping she would stop crying. 

"I know it's hard-it's not been easy for me, either-"

"-oh what do you know, Regina? Things must be going great with Robin." Emma interrupted her and Regina had the urge to transform the Saviour into a fish of some kind. 

"It's not." She said grimly. 

The words took a while to reach Emma, and she looked at Regina confusedly. 

"W-what?"

"It's not going well. I just left him," she explained. 

"What the hell are you talking about? Where did you leave him?" Emma's questions were driving her wild. Why was it so hard for her to understand?

"I told him I needed some time away and he decided that that meant we were done so I did it. I walked away from him."

"Why? Things were going well, weren't it?"

"No, Emma, it wasn't. I was just good at faking it. The truth finally caught up to me, I suppose."

"The truth?"

Regina smiled at that. 

"I'm really messed up, Miss Swan, and getting myself a boyfriend isn't going to solve my problems. In fact, it's only gotten worse," she replied. 

Emma's eyes widened at that, and the sad smile on her lips told Regina she agreed. 

"I told you, it's Emma. Wait till Snow hears about this, she's going to kill you." Emma joked and Regina laughed. 

"I'm not looking forward to that, I must admit," she replied. 

The two of them shifted in their seat, and glanced at the horizon. 

"You know, I'm glad you're here. Emma."

Emma smiled softly. 

"Me too."

"We have to tell Henry, you know that right?" Regina began. 

"I know. I think I'm ready." 

Emma's response surprised her. She hadn't expected to hear it from Emma. She could see the fear in her eyes, Regina was afraid too, but they could face it together. 

"He's our son, Emma. No matter what happens, he'll forgive us. It will take some time but he will," she assured the red faced woman beside her.

"I hope so." 

Regina hoped so too.


End file.
